Duterte says anti-terror bill still being reviewed

June 23, 2020

President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday night his legal team is still reviewing the enrolled anti-terrorism bill.

In a taped televised message, Duterte said the proposed measure has not reached him yet.

"My legal (team) is still reviewing it...I haven't yet received it. I had it reviewed," he said.

As a procedure, Duterte said the moment he receives an enrolled bill, he immediately forwards it to his legal team in Malacañang without reading it.

"It's legal who will return it to me with a recommendation whether I will approve it or not," Duterte added.

In a virtual press briefing on Tuesday, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said once the Office of the Deputy Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs finish the review, Duterte would make a decision after one or two days if he would approve the bill.

"What the President is stressing, he will see if there is constitutional infirmity in the bill. The President is a lawyer and he can come up with his own conclusion if there is a provision in this bill that violates the Constitution," he said.

Some groups have been opposing the passage of the anti-terror bill due to alleged provisions that would violate the Constitution. They claimed that once the bill becomes a law, this could be used by the administration against its critics and more human rights abuses could take place. Celerina Monte/DMS