The Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Anti-Terrorism Act was published by the Department of Justice on Saturday, October 17 which provided specifics on how the controversial bill will be used against “terrorists.”
Under Section 4 of Republic Act 11479 or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, terrorism shall not include advocacy, protest, dissent, stoppage of work, industrial or mass action, and other similar exercises of civil and political rights – as long as these are not intended to endanger a person or pose a “serious risk” to public safety.
The IRR expands this much-criticized provision, saying people who engage in these acts may be held liable for the crime of terrorism when the purpose of their engagement is any of the following:
- Intimidate the general public or a segment thereof;
- Create an atmosphere of or spread a message of fear;
- Provoke or influence by intimidation the government or any international organization ;
- Seriously destabilize or destroy the fundamental political, economic, or social structures;
- Create a public emergency or seriously undermine public safety
Terrorism, under the law and its IRR, also refers to any act intended to cause death or serious physical injury to a person, and extensive damage or destruction to public and private property and critical infrastructure.
These acts are punishable with life imprisonment without the benefit of parole.
