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Filipino Celebrities and Personalities Join Plea to Junk Terror Bill

Filipino Celebrities and Personalities Join Plea to Junk Terror Bill

Jun 4, 2020   •   Kyzia Maramara

House Bill No. 6875 or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 has now been approved by the House of Representatives on its third and final reading. The bill was marked urgent by President Rodrigo Duterte a mere 3 days ago. It received 173 positive votes from representatives, 31 negative votes, and 29 votes to abstain.

In a letter, President Duterte said the bill was to “address the urgent need to strengthen the law on anti-terrorism in order to adequately and effectively contain the menace of terrorist acts for the preservation of national security and the promotion of general welfare.”

So if it’s for the “protection” of the people, why exactly are lawmakers and Filipino netizens enraged enough to trend #JunkTerrorBill for days on end? This simple infographic will serve to enlighten you:

 

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It’s encouraging to see local celebrities, influencers, and personalities joining the cry for the government to junk a bill that we do not need in the middle of a pandemic. Here are some who took a stand and made their followers proud:

Miss Universe winners Catriona Gray and Pia Wurtzbach

Miss Universe 2015 winner Pia Wurtzbach opened up in a tweet how she was hesitant to express her opinions online regarding politics because she felt like she “didn’t know enough.” But we’re glad that she sought to use her platform for good. It’s encouraging to seeing Filipinos reply to her tweets assuring her that she is not alone.

Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray encouraged her followers to remain vigilant and focused on the matter at hand. Since there is so much going on in the world right now, it’s easy to be silent and turn a blind eye but that’s the worst anyone can do at a time like this. Catriona has also shared links to important articles on her Twitter.

 

Kathryn Bernardo and Liza Soberano

Liza Soberano has taken to Twitter to express her concerns over the Anti-Terror Bill. For the past few days, she has been sharing links to informative articles and asking people to sign petitions to not only #JunkTerrorBill but to also support the protesters for #BlackLivesMatter in the US.

For her part, Kathryn Bernardo posted a simple hashtag but one that helped and encouraged her fans nonetheless.

 

Lualhati Bautista

 

Things have gotten so bad that even Lualhati Bautista, a Filipino novelist who authored Dekada ’70 and Bata, Bata, Pa’no Ka Ginawa?, had to comment. Not gonna lie, it felt good to know that we’ve got a fighter on our side.

 

Anne Curtis and Erwan Heussaff

Anne Curtis voiced everybody’s fears: the Anti-Terrorism Bill is too vague and with a government like ours, it’s highly likely that it will be bent to their favor. Remember what happened with Senator Koko Pimentel? The law is the law until someone with authority decides it isn’t.

Similarly, Erwan Heussaff pointed out that the bill leaves too many things open to interpretation:

 

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Finally read through the Anti-Terrorism bill. The premise is strong, I mean aren’t we all against terrorism? However, like any lengthy legal document things start to get muddled through the beauty of words. By the end of it, I was asking myself: who can decide that someone is a suspected terrorist? More importantly, who gets to define that a certain action can be defined as terrorism or the threat to commit it? If we feel like we need to replace the Human Security Act, why can’t more time be spent refining the vagaries found in the document and correcting some of it’s confusing language? The fairness of the bill will depend on how it’s interpreted and implemented and we all know that words can be bent to fit a narrative. Doesn’t the country have more important and pressing issues to tackle? Public Transportation, Public Health, Food Security, etc. P.S: Before any of you get heated in the comment sections with the whole “you’re not filipino” “go back to your country”, i’ve heard it all before. Just because i hold two passports, doesn’t mean i’m not a Filipino Citizen (seems relevant nowadays to mention this).

A post shared by Erwan Heussaff (@erwan) on

 

Janine Gutierrez

Dragon Lady actress Janine Gutierrez has always freely expressed on social media her opinions about the government’s incompetent handling issues thrown their way, this Anti-Terror Bill was no exception. Gutierrez reacts to the fact that members of the government voted “Yes with reservations” (it was Gov. Vilma Santos, btw) for the bill.

 

Kiko Pangilinan

If Senator Kiko Pangilinan, who is currently serving as a senator since 2016, can clearly see the dangers of the Anti-Terror Bill, why can’t others? He was one of the only two senators who opposed the bill during its second reading, the other one being Senator Risa Hontiveros. The government is more focused on arresting “violators” of the law (the definition of “violators” being unclear ) left and right than providing solutions for those who are hungry.

 

Bretman Rock

Influencer and social media personality Bretman Rock might be residing abroad but this doesn’t mean he can’t weigh in on issues. He posted a video on Instagram quickly explaining the Anti-Terror Bill to his international followers and wrapped it up by asking people to sign a petition and to learn more about the issue.

 

Nadine Lustre

Nadine Lustre posted on her Instagram not only about #JunkTerrorBill but also about #BlackLivesMatter. Unlike influencers who only speak up as an afterthought.

Maybe in a few years time, we can all relate to IV of Spades member Blaster Silonga’s post:

Pero sana hindi.

 

What do you think of the Anti-Terror Bill?


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Kyzia spends most of her time capturing the world around her through photos, paragraphs, and playlists. She is constantly on the hunt for the perfect chocolate chip cookie, and a great paperback thriller to pair with it.

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