"Watered-down or not, that 'law' doesn't stop the fight"

"Watered-down or not, that 'law' doesn't stop the fight"

by Kat Ulrike

It is not surprising that the decision of the supreme court about the constitutionality of the controversial Anti-Terrorism Act remains upheld. 

Even if some of its provisions been voided, the law itself continues to embolden thugs in uniform to pursue its repressive action “all in the name of national security” and “anti-terrorism” against those who simply voice frankly their dissent if not demanding a radical, patriotic alternative to an unjust order and its policy. For even now, labour unions, peasant groups, youth and student organisations, even churchpeople, and other concerned members of the civil society have been targeted for armed suppression. 

And regardless of the court’s decision, this doesn’t stop state-led abuses but rather become even more rampant. The so-called "National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict" or its earlier police operations "Tokhang" and "Double Barrel" created a license for those thugs in uniform to besmirch someone’s reputation, harass, or kill those who stood against their way. For sure the apologists of the order are either rejoicing about the court’s approval, albeit with amendments and pretending they’re respecting the decision; if not disagreeing the decision thinking the need to control or restrict civil rights as necessary for order- and this was shown by one military official who wanted to regulate social media using the law as its basis. 

Again this is unsurprising for as any other attempt to stifle people’s dissent, the order stokes the culture of impunity whether the law retains its entirety or after the court’s decision to remove “some of its unjust provisions”. After all, it is the same alibi why community pantries been harassed, if not personalities being slandered, tagged as “terrorists”, or killed all because of some dissenting belief. In the provinces, those who criticize that controversial law, have unjustly imprisoned while being served by the police with search warrants many of which were issued by judges in Metro Manila, what more supported by planted evidence, or simply killed on a formulaic narrative of ‘nanlaban’ (resisting arrest).

But regardless of this, neither the watered-down nonsense as ordered by the court nor the agency that's brought out of that "law" will stop people from seeking truth from facts, expose the repressive and unjust order and its authorities, and to assert just, radical, and meaningful changes by any means necessary.