The Department of Justice (DOJ) has sent its comments on the Anti-Terror Bill to the Palace.
DOJ Secretary Menardo Guevara said the comments were already on the way to the Office of the President on June 17.
According to Guevarra, the DOJ “scrutinized the enrolled bill line by line and analyzed substance of each provision in relation to the whole, always keeping in mind for who and against the anti-terror bill was crafted.”
"To the extent possible, we have considered the operational needs of the government in dealing with terrorism as well as our international commitments, without losing sight of the legal and constitutional parameters within which all state actions should be circumscribed," he added.
Both the House of Representative and the Senate passed the bill. All it needs to be enacted into law is President Rodrigo Duterte’s approval and signature.
Several organizations and lawmakers previously criticized the bill, as some provisions are unconstitutional and prone to abuse. Retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio, in particular, said the Philippines may end up “worse than martial law” if the anti-terror bill becomes law.
Maine image from Wikimedia Commons.