Statement against the Human Security Act of 2007

College of Mass Communication, University of the Philippines – Diliman

We, the students of the College of Mass Communication, University of the Philippines-Diliman, believe that the media, which serve to responsibly inform and enjoin, must unequivocally denounce any law, which ultimately threatens the lives of those they strive to serve – the Filipino people.

WHEREAS, Republic Act No. 9372, also known as the Human Security Act (HSA) of 2007, through the surveillance of unsuspecting civilians and the interception of private communication UPON MERE SUSPICION, violates freedom of speech and freedom of the press as enshrined by the Philippine Constitution;

WHEREAS, the vague definitions of terrorism and arbitrary qualifications for terrorists and terrorist activities promote a chilling atmosphere for the public and especially for media practitioners and students of mass communication who repeatedly and necessarily invoke the right to free speech and free press;

WHEREAS, the power to interrogate and detain a “suspected terrorist” on grounds of MERE SUSPICION is open to abuse and misuse for political ends;

WHEREAS, the HAS can easily be transformed into a repressive legal instrument under the implementation of the Arroyo administration whose integrity and intentions are still in question in the context of unsolved killings and enforced disappearances of media practitioners and individuals critical of the government;

WHEREAS, if a law as powerful as the HAS, which can be used to tag virtually any citizen as a terrorist, is enacted without Implementing Rules and Regulations, and whose substantive interpretation is determined at the discretion of the Anti-Terror Council, the police, the military and the few who are given authority, then it intends to sow fear and intimidation upon the very public it purportedly tries to secure;
We strongly condemn the Human Security Act of 2007 in its entirety and call for its immediate repeal by the Congress.

16 July 2007

published in the 5th issue of Philippine Collegian for this year

for a copy of the Human Security Act of 2007, click here