Pwede umapela! DOJ: Persons tagged by council as terrorists can seek delisting

Those who have been recently designated as terrorists by the government can seek delisting before the Anti-Terrorism Council, Justice Undersecretary Adrian Sugay said on Friday (May 14).

Sugay made the assurance amid complaints that some of the 29 persons recently designated as terrorists shouldn’t be on the list.

“You can actually file under the rules a verified petition for delisting that can be filed with the ATC. It’s a request for delisting,” he said during an interview over ANC.

“The designee may also go to court to question it,” he added.

This week the ATC made public Resolutions Nos. 16 and 17 which designated a total of 29 persons as terrorists.

Resolution No. 17 designated as terrorists the alleged members of the central committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the and the New People’s Army (NPA).

The other resolution designated as terrorists those who are affiliated with the Dawlah Islamiyah (DI), bu Sayyaf Group (ASG), the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF). These are Raden Abu, Esmael Abubakar, Muhiddin Animbang, Salahuddin Hassan, Radzmil Jannatul, Majan Sahidjuan, Faharudin Bonito Hadji Satar, Mudsrimar Sawadjaan, and Almujer Yadah.

However, the Public Interest Law Center (PILC) said four of its clients in the list shouldn’t even be there, namely, peace consultants Rafael Baylosis, Rey Claro Casambre, Vicente Ladlad, and Adelberto Silva.

The PILC pointed out that the ATC is only “regurgitating false assertions” with its terrorist designation amid claims in Resolution No. 17 that the listing was based on “verified and validated information.”

The group explained that the government has a pending proscription case before the Manila regional trial court (RTC) seeking to declare as terrorists the CPP-NPA.

“In 2018, our clients Rafael Baylosis, Rey Claro Casambre, Vicente Ladlad, and Adelberto Silva submitted documents and proved to a Manila trial court that they were not connected to the Central Committee of the Communist Party or the New People’s Army,” the PILC said.

“Not only had they shown long track records in the legal democratic movement, the court aptly dropped their names from the proscription petition under the Human Security Act because there was no evidence linking them to terrorist organizations or activities,” it stressed.

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