DAVAO
CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 05 Jul) – Filipino students and youth
organization are joining with other progressive forces calling to scrap
the Human Security Act (HSA). They say the law would only set precedent
for more anti-student policies.
Youth organizations headed by
ANAKBAYAN in Southern Mindanao, National Union of Students in the
Philippines (NUSP), League of Filipino Students (LFS) and College
Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), said the Arroyo administration
had not been successful in providing education for the youth, but
instead nailed itself on self-serving policies.
On February 8,
2007, the Senate passed on a final reading the Anti-Terrorism Act or
the Human Security Act of 2007. The HSA is an act that aims to put an
end to terrorism and all its forms.
"HSA only violates the
basic civil right of every Filipino youth," Arvin Gutang, ANAKBAYAN
vice president for Mindanao, said. "It limits the right of every youth
to criticize the government and exercise their right to freedom of
expression given the provision of the so-called ‘warrantless’ arrests
to suspected 'terrorists'," he added. Gutang said that in the course of
analyzing the HSA, there are certain provisions under the act that are
doubtful and can be subject to abuse.
According to Karlos
Manlupig, LFS Davao City coordinator, "the said law would set a
precedent for an undeclared Martial Law by the Arroyo administration.
HSA will even aggravate 'state terrorism'. Given the track record of
the Arroyo government, the HSA will give more powers to a regime that
continues to violate human rights."
"The youth and students are
threatened about the ongoing militarization inside state colleges and
universities, private campuses and other educational institutions
because of the presence of the military inside the campuses as well as
the re-instituted Reserved Officer Training Corps Act and the recent
HSA," said Andrhea Carreon, NUSP-Davao City chapter spokesperson.
"We
disapprove of this law just as we dislike and criticize the current
educational system under the Arroyo regime. Since youth organizations
and other progressive groups are now being tagged as 'terrorists', we
are very susceptible to the threat of this ambiguous law. Therefore,
criticizing the government and fighting for civil and democratic rights
is tantamount to saying that you are a 'terrorist'," Carreon said.
Meanwhile,
Nisa Opalla, CEGP secretary general, said that aside from HSA and
militarization inside campuses, the Arroyo administration is making
sure that the voices of the students are curbed and controlled through
the new CHED Memorandum Orders that is implemented through the
Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
"CHED is now trying to
manipulate the student governments and councils as well as the student
publications by releasing three new CMOs. Two of which involves the
student councils and student publications," Opalla said.
"The
formation of the National Council of Student Governments in the
Philippines and National Council of Campus Journalists in the
Philippines are scrupulous acts of the Arroyo government to manipulate
the voices of the students," she said.
NCSGP and NCCJP are both
formed by the Commission to "establish a working institutional
partnership between the CHED-Office of Student Services and Office of
Student Affairs and 'empowered' student governments and campus
journalists in various Higher Educational Institutions, private and
public, sectarian or non-sectarian, in the country."
The youth
groups stressed that both organizations formed by CHED are "puppet"
organizations controlled by CHED and the administration of the colleges
and universities.
They warn the student councils and student
publications to be conscious of the said organizations as it would lead
to the crippling of the autonomous nature of the student councils and
publications from the school administration.
"Together with
the Tuition and Other Fees Increase (TOFI), these anti-student policies
are the various faces of terrorism that the Arroyo administration has
put forward to the Filipino youth. The HSA is a grand master plan of
the government in silencing the struggling voices of the youth and
students." Opalla stated.
The youth organizations are planning
to build an alliance to combat the anti-student policies which hinder
the youth from getting free and accessible education. It will be
composed of secondary and tertiary student councils and publications as
well as the various student clubs, youth organizations, religious
groups, faculty and parents in Davao City.
The said alliance
will discuss the possible solutions of the students and youth problems
specifically on the issue of education and anti-youth policies.
Journalists
were also threatening to seek court action and launch a “counter-
information” drive on the anto-terrorism law after Justice Secretary
Raul Gonzalez allegedly claimed that they can be wiretapped on
suspicion of being a terrorists or aiding a terrorist.
The
National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) said it is time
the media united to question the "draconian measures" the government is
taking through the anti-terror law.
"We know the government had
banned the media from interviewing coup plotters and spokesmen like
Gregorio 'Ka Roger' Rosal. That is dismaying and it may lead to a test
case," NUJP national directorate member Inday Varona said in Filipino
during an interview on dzXL radio.
She said the journalists will likely question the anti-terror law's violation of their right to protect their news sources.
Varona
scored Gonzalez in particular for hinting that journalists can be
wiretapped if they are suspected to be in contact with terrorists by
airing interviews with them.
"The media should be ready for a test case that may come its way," she said.
She said the NUJP is planning to mount a media campaign to counter the "information campaign" the government is planning.
"If
the government will go around with an information drive, we will also
go around with our own information drive questioning some of its
draconian measures," she said.
Senator Jamby Madrigal has filed Senate Bill No. 23 seeking to repeal R.A. 9372 or the Human Security Act of 2007.
She
reiterated that the Human Security Act is probably the most dangerous
piece of legislation passed by the Philippine Congress. The law is
replete with provisions that ravage constitutional guarantees such as
freedom of speech, freedom of communication and correspondence, right
to travel, as well as an individual's right to be secure in their
things and in their person.
"This draconian law should be
shredded to pieces and thrown into the garbage bin. The use of violence
against civilians under any guise should be opposed. National Security
should not be used as an excuse to stifle basic freedoms and
constitutionally-guaranteed human rights," Madrigal said.
Madrigal
said the anti-terrorism law creates a shadow criminal justice system
and can be used as an instrument of greater terror perpetrated by
people in power against their critics and political opponents.
"There
is no clear definition of who a terrorist is. A person maybe labeled as
one by reason solely of his or her political or religious belief and
his or her defense thereof. The vagueness of defining a terrorist is
not limited to the Philippines. Since 1995, the United Nations has yet
to come up with a clear definition of who or what constitutes a
terrorist," she said. (With reports from Leigh Dalugdog and GMANews.TV)
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