Marami na namamatay! SC urged to issue TRO on Anti-Terror Law

The Supreme Court (SC) has been asked on Tuesday (March 9) to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the Republic Act 11479 or the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) of 2020 to stop the continuing attacks against petitioners opposed to the law.

The call was made by the petitioners and their lawyers who filed the 37 petitions questioning the constitutionality of the law before the SC following the attack against lawyer Angelo Karlo Guillen and the so-called “bloody Sunday” when nine persons were killed last March 7 during the police and military implementation of search warrants against individuals who have alleged links with communist rebels in Southern Luzon.

“We call on the Supreme Court as the constitutionally-appointed guardian of civil liberties and protector of the legal profession to take immediate measures to stop these attacks including those committed against petitioners and counsel in the ATA petitions. The issuance of a TRO on the enforcement of the ATA pending the final adjudication of the 37 petitions could help address the worsening situation,” the group said in a statement.

Among those who signed the statement are Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman, former vice president Jejomar Binay, former Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares, retired SC Justices Antonio Carpio and Conchita Carpio-Morales, and former solicitor general Jose Anselmo Cadiz.

“Atty. Angelo Guillen, was the latest victim from among the lawyers and petitioners who oppose the ATA,” the group said.

Among them, they cited that “Atty. Raffy Aquino, who is a FLAG (Free Legal Assistance Group) member and counsel in one of the 37 petitions against the ATA, was listed by government security forces as a ‘CPP/NPA’ member.”

“Members of the NUPL (National Union of People’s Lawyers), who also serve as counsel in another petition, have also been red-tagged,” they also cited.

“Atty. Evalyn Ursua, counsel in the petition of the NUJP (National Union of Journalists of the Philippines and others, expressed concern after repeated incidents of motorcycle-riding men taking photos of her residence and receiving suspicious phone calls from unknown callers,” the group added.

The group also expressed concern over the rising number of deaths resulting from the implementation of search warrants and have become “no different from the claim of ‘nanlaban’ over the deaths of drug suspects in anti-drug operations.”

“We are alarmed that a further proliferation of search warrants will ensue under RA 11479, which does not contain clear judicially determinable standards, giving enforcement agencies a general warrant to search and arrests ‘suspected persons’,” they said.

“The killing and arrests of subjects of warrants in Rizal, Laguna and Cavite cause grave concern as these are members of groups also petitioning the Supreme Court for the invalidation of RA 11479,” they added.

Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)