8List.ph
  • News
    • Showbiz
    • Opinion
    • Sports
    • Profiles
    • Weird
  • Adulting
    • Career
    • Money
    • Health
    • School & Learning
    • Relationships
  • Pop
    • Movies & TV
    • Music
    • Books
    • Games
    • Theater
    • Retro
    • K-World
  • Lifestyle
    • Style
    • Beauty
    • Food & Drink
    • Nest
    • Tech
    • Travel
    • Pinoy
  • Videos
    • 8List Asks
    • Pagsubeks
    • Kaya Today!
    • Archives
      • 8list Plays
      • 8List Explores
      • 8List Presents
      • 88 Seconds
      • 8secs
      • Filgood
      • Isabuhay Ang Panata
      • #8MinutesWith
      • YOUth DECIDE
      • Str8 Up with Delamar
      • Toughest Job 2016
  • H8 Mondays
  • Breathe
  • About
  • Sitemap
  • Advertise
  • Privacy
  • Archive
  • Bitesized.ph
  • Windowseat.ph

 

 

 

8List.ph is published by ID8, Inc.

Subscribe
8List.ph
8List.ph
  • News
    • Showbiz
    • Opinion
    • Sports
    • Profiles
    • Weird
  • Adulting
    • Career
    • Money
    • Health
    • School & Learning
    • Relationships
  • Pop
    • Movies & TV
    • Music
    • Books
    • Games
    • Theater
    • Retro
    • K-World
  • Lifestyle
    • Style
    • Beauty
    • Food & Drink
    • Nest
    • Tech
    • Travel
    • Pinoy
  • Videos
    • 8List Asks
    • Pagsubeks
    • Kaya Today!
    • Archives
      • 8list Plays
      • 8List Explores
      • 8List Presents
      • 88 Seconds
      • 8secs
      • Filgood
      • Isabuhay Ang Panata
      • #8MinutesWith
      • YOUth DECIDE
      • Str8 Up with Delamar
      • Toughest Job 2016
  • H8 Mondays
  • Breathe
  • Opinion

8 Reasons This Anti-Terrorism Bill Is Raising Some Red Flags

  • Posted on Jun 2, 2020Jun 2, 2020
  • 4 minute read
  • Tim Henares
Total
5K
Shares
5K
0
1

Metro Manila has just entered the next phase of the worst reality show ever with GCQ being ever the mess everyone predicted it to be. And because nothing is more important than mass testing and an actual plan to address these problems, the government has decided to make its priority the anti-terrorism bill. Because that is totally what we need right now.

We don’t need to even tell you the sheer number of red flags you’d find by poring over this law. Being the 8List, we found at least 8. And they are the following:

 

8. Why now?

Lorenzana says anti terror bill already certified as urgent, says the fears of those opposing it are baseless. Ano says terrorists are plotting even with Covid-19 pandemic. | @JMAurelioINQ

— Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) June 1, 2020

So why is it, in a time where people are quite afraid to congregate en masse, are we putting into play a bill that could, under normal circumstances, send people out in the streets right this very moment, defending our freedom from being incrementally eroded yet again?

Oh. Looks like we answered our own question right there.

 


7. Warrantless arrests?

Yesterday, #JunkTerrorBill topped the trending charts on Twitter after the House of Representatives approved the revision of the Human Security Act. With this, warrantless arrest can be done to suspected persons.

Here are the grounds one may be accused of being a “terrorist”: pic.twitter.com/X0fbB3cPQY

— Himati (@himati) May 30, 2020

Among the many questionable provisions of this law include warrantless arrests and up to 14-days of detention for suspected (emphasis ours) terrorists. Worse, this bill opens up the forming of an anti-terror council, and these guys get to determine exactly who the terrorists are.

This sounds mighty familiar…

 

6. Why’d you remove that?

The original bill originally had a provision that gave restitution of P500,000 to anyone who is wrongfully detained by this law. The current version that is being railroaded in Congress does not have this.

One is led to ask the obvious question: why? This built-in safeguard would have discouraged the government even just on paper from abusing this law (too much). Taking it away means all of a sudden, the consequences for wrongful detention have all but disappeared. And we all know how this government is all about meting out the consequences for the people in power who abuse it, right?

8 Lessons We Learned From The NCRPO Mañanita Party (That Wasn’t a Party)
8 Lessons We Learned From The NCRPO Mañanita Party (That Wasn’t a Party)
Paolo Mariano | May 14, 2020

 


5. A chilling effect.

You can’t silence the people. 🇵🇭.#JunkTerrorBill #artph pic.twitter.com/LWTDbTjkR1

— 🇵🇭Jam⁷ (@Jam_cheonjae) May 29, 2020

Plenty of people who have looked at the bill closely have seen the possibility of broadly applying these provisions to people who would use hashtags we here at the 8List would simply never use on this website: hashtags like #OustDuterte or #DuterteResign. No way we’d ever do that here, because that’s just too incendiary.

And with this law in play, even those very hashtags could get you in a spot of legal trouble. Forget giving death threats to the President – just a stupid meme could land you a warrantless arrest! But even if it doesn’t, would you take your chances at this point? If not, then welcome to the concept of “chilling effect.” A complete violation of our constitutionally enshrined right to free speech and expression. Because if people can arbitrarily label anyone they want as a terrorist, then why would they draw the line anywhere reasonable?

 

4. A history of abuse.

Under ANY administration, this law would be highly questionable and prone to abuse. Doesn’t matter who’s up there. With this country’s penchant for taking even the best laws out there and finding ways to exploit it at the people’s expense, is it a wonder why everyone is worried?

 

3. A history of questionable competence.

Let’s pretend for a moment that there is no malice, no corruption at work. Would you still assume that these warrantless arrests and detention would still be more good than bad? Our officials (again, not just those under this administration) aren’t strangers to missteps that have sent innocents to jail. Do we really want to give them more power?

Know Your Rights: When Can Police Arrest You Without A Warrant?
Know Your Rights: When Can Police Arrest You Without A Warrant?
Cristina Morales | Apr 27, 2020

 

2. We have a culture that can’t handle dissent.

Dissent is confused with rebellion. Dissent is confused with lawlessness. Dissent is confused with crime. Blind supporters have more than a few times demonstrated their desire to see every dissenting person strung up and made to recant — or at least get out of this country.

So what makes us think for even a moment that in this country, dissent will not be confused with terrorism?

 

1. Ultimately, it’s yet another scapegoat.

First, it was drugs. Then, the communists. Now, the terrorists.

Go back six years ago, it was corruption. But only from the people they didn’t like.

Never trust people who think they have the simplest of solutions for the most complex of issues. And even if Congressman Biazon may have all the good intentions in the world when he principally sponsored this bill, we all know what the road to hell happens to be paved with. And it looks like we’re on that very highway right now.

 

What do you think about the Terror Bill? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

 

*The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the original author. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of the 8List.ph.

Total
5K
Shares
5K
0
1
Related Topics
  • dissent
  • freedom of speech
  • human rights
  • politics
  • protest
  • red-tagging
  • terror bill
  • terrorism
Avatar photo
Tim Henares

Previous Article
  • Adulting
  • Lockdown Diaries

The Most Hilarious-Slash-Depressing Tweets That Summed Up Our Feelings About the GCQ

  • Posted on Jun 2, 2020Jun 2, 2020
  • Bianca Katipunan
View Post
Next Article
  • Food & Drink
  • Lockdown Diaries

Where to Order Sushi Bake, The Internet’s Latest Food Craze

  • Posted on Jun 2, 2020Jun 2, 2020
  • Ina Louise Manto
View Post
You May Also Like
View Post
  • Opinion

8 Dog Whistles Racists Use (To Pretend It’s Not About Racism)

  • Posted on May 30, 2023May 30, 2023
  • Tim Henares
View Post
  • Opinion

The Internet Debates: Is Makati Really ‘Pedestrian-Friendly’?

  • Posted on May 24, 2023May 24, 2023
  • Edgardo Toledo
View Post
  • Opinion

8 Reasons Why Michael V’s Comment About Content Creators Is Worth Listening To

  • Posted on May 15, 2023
  • Tim Henares
View Post
  • Opinion

8 Signs We Don’t Understand What Cancel Culture Really Is

  • Posted on Feb 23, 2023Feb 23, 2023
  • Tim Henares
View Post
  • Opinion

8 Ways AllTV Can Make Its Critics Come Around

  • Posted on Feb 20, 2023Feb 20, 2023
  • Kel Fabie
View Post
  • Opinion

8 Signs We Don’t Understand What Being Woke Really Is

  • Posted on Feb 16, 2023
  • Tim Henares
View Post
  • Opinion
  • Pop

8 Lessons We Can Learn from the AllTV Debacle

  • Posted on Feb 6, 2023
  • Kel Fabie
View Post
  • Opinion

8 Reasons Why You Can’t Expect Someone Like Donnalyn Bartolome to Stop Making ‘Hot Takes’

  • Posted on Jan 12, 2023Jan 12, 2023
  • Kel Fabie
3 comments
  1. Pingback: 8 Signs Frankie Pangilinan is Your Spirit Animal | 8List.ph
  2. Pingback: Best VPN Services: Increase Your Online Safety with These VPNs
  3. Pingback: If the News Leaves You Anxious and Exhausted, You Probably Have 'Headline Stress Disorder' | 8List.ph

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get the l8est delivered right to your inbox.

8List.ph
  • About
  • Sitemap
  • Advertise
  • Privacy
  • Archive
  • Bitesized.ph
  • Windowseat.ph
Your daily dose of entertaining, useful and informative lists.

Input your search keywords and press Enter.