New anti-terror bill will help Army address insurgency

June 10, 2020

The new anti-terror bill will help the Philippine Army address the communist insurgency, the Philippine Army said in a virtual interview on Wednesday.

"They are still espousing, you know, armed violence to bring about change in our society, in our country and of course in doing so they need support. They need finance and logistics support from, from other sectors so this bill would also enable us to cut that umbilical cord so that... we could prevent and hopefully, finally end this communist insurgency," said Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay.

"Actually this new anti terror bill is addressed to the local terrorist groups, extremists or affiliated with international ISIS group, aligning with their you know ideology and ways but if NPAs ( New People's Army) also espouse the same, the same acts of violation, it means to bring about change through violent means.They'll be... included in this," he said.

"They have killed innocent civilians, even us in the uniformed, the security sector employing treachery, you know ambushes and using IEDs (improvised explosive device). They have bombed also, and I don't think with that they are no different from other terrorists...  They are well within the definition of what terrorism means, who terrorists are in this new anti terror bill," Gapay added.

Gapay emphasized that sympathizers of the New People's Army would not have to worry about the bill.

"They don't have to worry anything about this bill as long as they don't support or in terms of finance, logistics. You could express themselves as long as you don't espouse violence or armed, armed violence to further your, their objectives. It's a right. It's in the law. They are protected also, civil rights are protected in the new anti-terror bill, so they don't need to worry about that," he said. Robina Asido/DMS