The Army’s 3rd Infantry Division welcomed the Supreme Court’s approval and issuance of the procedural rules concerning petitions and applications related to the implementation of the Republic Act No. 11479, or the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) of 2020, saying it will further boost its campaign against insurgency.
These procedural rules are set to take effect on January 15 and will apply to petitions and applications related to detentions without judicial warrants of arrest, surveillance orders, freeze orders, restrictions on travel, designations, proscriptions, and other court orders issued to implement the ATA and other associated laws, a statement from the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division said.
Major Gen. Marion Sison, 3ID Commander, said “the Supreme Court’s approval and issuance of the rules on the application and implementation of the provisions of the Anti-Terror Law will further strengthen our security operations to prevent acts of terror perpetrated by a group or an individual but more importantly, it will hasten our effort to end the Local Communist Armed Conflict.”
Sison added that the issuance of the SC ruling will greatly hamper, if not diminish the operations and resource generation activities of the CPP NPA and its White Area Operatives.
The ATA and other related laws such as the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act or Republic Act 10168 define and provide punishment for acts of terrorism such as but not limited to participation, cooperation, facilitation, and conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism by an individual, group or association, and suspects can be arrested without judicial warrants of arrest.
The CPP-NPA has been designated as a terrorist organization by the Anti-Terrorism Council and the US State Department as Foreign Terrorist Organization in September 2022 and in August 2002 respectively.
With this ruling, Sison assured the public, especially the people of Western and Central Visayas, that the 3ID will continue to collaborate with the local government units, law enforcement agencies and other partners and stakeholders in protecting the rights of the people during the implementation of the Anti-Terrorism Act and other related laws.
(Gilbert Bayoran via The Visayan Daily Star (TVDS), photo courtesy by TVDS)