DILG welcomes Supreme Court decision declaring the Anti-Terrorism Act constitutional.
THE Department of the Interior and Local Government has welcomed the decision of the Supreme Court declaring most of the provisions of RA 11479 otherwise known as the “Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020” constitutional.
“While we await the release of the full decision, we welcome, respect, and acknowledge the decision of the Supreme Court that only 2 provisions of the entire law were struck down. With only two minimal provisions being declared unconstitutional, it shows that the law itself as a whole is legal, and constitutional,” said DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año.
Año said that the provisions declared unconstitutional were only “minimal” and would not affect the overall implementation of the law.
“Rest assured, we will be making the appropriate adjustments to conform to the decision of the Court and continue to implement the ATA law strictly as a means of protecting the Filipino people against any and all acts of terrorism,” he added.
Meanwhile Año said that the decision of the Court is a clear and convincing victory for all law-abiding and responsible citizens of the country.
The SC’s Public Information Office yesterday released a media advisory regarding the 37 petitions challenging the Anti-Terrorism Act, particularly on deliberations during the Court’s En Banc session held on December 7, 2021.
According to the advisory, the qualifier to the proviso in Section 4 of RA 11479 that says “...which are not intended to cause death or serious physical harm to a person, to endanger a person’s life, or to create a serious risk to public safety” was declared as unconstitutional by a vote of 12-3 for being overbroad and violative of freedom of expression.
In addition, the second method for designation found in Section 25, paragraph 2 of the law that says “Request for designations by other jurisdictions or supranational jurisdictions may be adopted by the ATC (Anti-Terrorism Council) after determination that the proposed designee meets the criteria for designation of UNSCR (United Nations Security Council Resolution) No. 1373” was declared unconstitutional by a vote of 9-6.
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