Lorenzana stresses importance of passing anti-terror bill

June 3, 2020

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Wednesday emphasized the importance of the passage of the anti-terrorism bill amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"We need it now because the threat that the terrorists will also take advantage of the pandemic is very great. So I think, this is just, to me is the high time that this bill is approved and passed into law," he said in a television interview.

Lorenzana said terrorism "is an act that will disrupt the lives of people or terrorize people."

"I think the simple definition is any attack that will terrorize or harm people, that is terrorism. Terrorism is organized. They are organized. They intend to inflict bodily injury to most number of people... to create terror or fear in the minds of the people...Now for attacking somebody with weapon like knives or isolated ones like a gun, that is not terrorism. That is just plain assault or homicide or murder," Lorenzana said, explaining the meaning of terrorism.

"Anybody who supports terrorism... bringing materials, they are as complicit as the people conducting the terror act," he added.

Lorenzana also emphasized the importance of at least 14 days of detention for suspected terrorists.

"The previous one which is 36 hours I think is a joke actually to detain people for 36 hours. You do not have enough time to substantiate your charges. You cannot research... so 36 hours is a very short even 72 hours or three days is very short so we want it to make it longer, the detention period, so we can hold the suspect. If he is really a terrorist, then we can hold him longer, he cannot commit a terror act," he said.

Lorenzana said under the new bill peaceful protests are not considered an act of terrorism.

"They are not terrorists, anybody who makes a peaceful protest they are not terrorist... It is enshrined in our constitution that you can do peaceful protest, a peaceful assembly. Those are actually protected by the Bill of Rights so they are not terrorists," he said.

Lorenzana  reiterate that people should not worry because government forces who abuse their authority will be sanctioned under the law.

"There are enough or stringent sanctions to anybody who will commit abuses in implementing this law so the people should not worry about this," he said. Robina Asido/DMS