PGMA signs into Law Human Security Act of 2007

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed into law today the landmark anti-terrorism bill, giving legal muscle to the government’s war against terrorism.
In ceremonies held at the Heroes Hall of Malacanang this afternoon and attended by the diplomatic corps, Cabinet secretaries and legislators, the President signed Republic Act No.9372 or the "Human Security Act of 2007," described as "An Act to Secure the State and Protect our People from Terrorism."
The new law, considered by the President as an "institutional landmark of the 13th Congress" as it comes at a time when the "world looks upon the Philippines as a strong global player in the fight against terror," was the result of the consolidation of House Bill 4839 and Senate Bill 2137.
Principal authors of the law were Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile and Rep. Simeon Datumanong, chair of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights and House Committee on Public Order and Human Rights, respectively.
The President had said earlier that an anti-terror law would give the government’s all-out war against terror "legal teeth" as terrorism would now be a crime.
"Now that we have more legal teeth in this fight, we shall continue to sharpen the intelligence and operational capabilities of the Armed Forces and Police, modernize and further professionalize them, and broaden the domestic and international alliance that will give us the edge to win and prevail," the President said when the Senate ratified the anti-terror bill before Congress went on recess last February.
The law’s Declaration of Policy states that: "It is the policy of the State to protect life, liberty, and property from acts of terrorism as inimical and dangerous to the national security of the country and welfare of the people, and to make terrorism a crime against the Filipino people, against humanity, and against the law of nations."
The President said with an anti-terror law in place, the inevitable defeat of the homegrown terror group Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and Al Qaeda terror cells would happen in the very near future.
Under the law, the crime of terrorism includes piracy in general or mutiny in high seas; rebellion or insurrection; coup d’etat, including acts committed by private persons; murder; kidnapping and serious illegal detention; and, crimes involving destruction such as arson.
The crime of terrorism is punishable by 40 years of imprisonment without the benefit of parole.
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Counter-Terrorism Task Force Chair Benjamin Defensor , in an interview, described the (anti-terror) law as "very concerned on human rights, in totality, compared to other countries’ anti-terror laws."
"It has protection clauses not found in other countries (laws)," he said, adding that the international community is "concerned on what help (the anti-terror law) is to the regional and international fight against terrorism."
President Arroyo has placed the fight against terrorists and terror acts on top of her agenda as she believes that national security is an essential factor in further growing the economy. (pia6)