Caloocan Citizens Against Anti-Terrorism Bill

We, the concerned citizens of our historic City of Caloocan, call on our District 1 Representative Cong. Dale “Along” R. Malapitan, to withdraw his support and vote NO to the Anti-Terrorism Bill of 2020.

Last June 3, 2020, the House of Representatives approved House Bill No. 6875 or the “Anti-Terrorism Bill” in its third and final reading with a vote of 168 in favor, 36 not in favor, and 29 abstentions. The bill was passed despite receiving wide opposition from various groups due to provisions that threaten civil and political liberties.

Among the 168 representatives who voted in favor of the said bill is Caloocan City 1st District Representative Cong. Dale “Along” R. Malapitan. As citizens of Caloocan, we strongly express our dismay and disappointment in his decision. We believe that his vote does not truly represent the interest of his constituents, which clearly disregards his sworn duty to do so. Thus, we demand for the immediate withdrawal of the congressman’s support to the bill for the following reasons:

1. The current definition of terrorism in the bill remains broad and vulnerable to misinterpretation and abuse.
2. The Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) is given the power to designate persons or organizations as terrorists for purposes of surveillance.
3. No form of proper compensation is given to persons or organizations in case of wrongful accusation.
4. The bill allows monitoring, wiretapping, and surveillance of suspects which is an unwarranted intrusion of privacy.
5. The periods of surveillance and detention have been increased without clear justification of necessity.
6. The bill minimizes the role of the Congress for legislative oversight and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to prosecute persons who may have violated civil and political rights.
7. Matched with the power to arrest and detain those designated as “terrorists” without a warrant, the implementation of this law may be used to silence critics, undermine our democratic institutions, and pave the way for human rights violations.

The aforementioned provisions of this bill clearly violate the rights of the people provided by the Constitution. Rep. Dale “Along” R. Malapitan voting YES to the passing of this bill enables a law that threatens the freedom of not only the citizens of Caloocan but of the whole nation. We are calling on our First District Representative to provide an explanation for his vote on the bill. As your constituents, we deserve to know the processes and consultations, if there are any, that you have done to come up with such a decision. More importantly, we ask you to consider these concerns raised by your constituents and withdraw your support to the said bill.

While we condemn all acts of terrorism and violence, we believe that a law that endangers the citizenry’s human rights and liberty is never the solution to the problem. We, the citizens of Caloocan, will continue to exercise our democratic right. We will not be silenced. We will remain watchful and vigilant in maintaining the freedom and rights that the late sons and daughters of this City have fought for during the Katipunan. We appeal to you, Congressman Malapitan, listen to the voices of your constituents. We demand a vote of "NO".