By Prince Golez
Malacañang assured that the new anti-terrorism bill pushed by President Rodrigo Duterte will not curtail free speech in the Philippines.
Freedom of speech is protected under the Constitution, according to Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque.
“We have established jurisprudence on freedom of expression and the only way the government can curtail freedom of expression is if there is a clear and present danger that the state has the right to prevent,” Roque said in an interview with ANC Wednesday.
Lawyers and human rights activists earlier expressed concern over the anti-terror bill, saying that this can be used to silence critics and suppress lawful dissent.
The Palace official, however, maintained that people’s freedom of expression won’t be suppressed or infringed upon “because, according to decisions of the Supreme Court, it enjoys a very high position in the hierarchy of rights even superior to property rights.”
Despite the law, Roque also said that the Constitution “remains as the fundamental guarantee of freedom of expression and the entire jurisprudence that has grown from the constitutional provision on freedom of expression.”
Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)
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