Two offices under the Office of the President are still in the process of reviewing the controversial Anti-Terrorism Bill, Malacañang said on Saturday.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque clarified that only one of three offices under the executive branch has completed the assessment of the proposed bill.
This clarification was made just a day after Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo announced to the media that the bill is being recommended to be approved and signed by President Rodrigo Duterte.
“I think ang natapos lang po is si Secretary Panelo (I think it’s just Secretary Panelo who completed the review),” Roque said.
This was not the first contradiction made by Duterte’s men in the past months.
In a statement on Friday, Panelo said his office, after a “careful and thoughtful” review, sees the need for the “urgent” enactment of the bill into law.
Roque said the Office of the Executive Secretary and the Deputy Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs, which are also tasked to review the provisions of the proposed Anti-Terrorism Act, have yet to make recommendations to Duterte.
“Ang ie-emphasize ko lang po, may at least tatlong opisina po ang pakikinggan niya (Duterte). Isa lang po si Secretary Panelo (What I want to emphasize is there are at least three offices that he would listen to. One of those is Secretary Panelo’s office),” he said.
The Anti-Terrorism Bill is now up for Duterte’s signature after being transmitted to his office on Tuesday.
Duterte can either sign the measure into law, veto it, or let it lapse into law after 30 days of receipt without signing it.
