NATIONAL NEWS
April 28-May 4, 2022
10
Marawi, 7 areas in Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur placed under Comelec control MANILA – Eight areas in Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur have been placed under the control of the Commission on Elections (Comelec). In a statement, Comelec Chairman Saidamen Pangarungan said six municipalities in Maguindanao, and one city and one municipality in Lanao del Sur are now under their control. The areas are the towns of Buluan, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Datu Piang, Mangudadatu, Pandag and Sultan Kudarat in the Province of Maguindanao. Also, the City of Marawi City and the town of Maguing both in Lanao del Sur, were declared under Comelec control in addition to Tubaran and Malabang towns. The places were placed under Comelec control upon
the joint recommendation of the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines and Regional Election Director Ray Sumalipao, the Committee on the Ban on Firearms and Security Concerns (CBFSC). Under Comelec Resolution No. 10757, an area can be put under Comelec control in the following circumstances: 1. History of/or current intense rivalry among contending parties. Such rivalries could motivate people to engage in violent acts; 2. Incidents of politically-motivated violence involving aspirants/candidates and other supporters; 3. Violence may be facilitated by the employment of Private Armed Groups (PAGs); and
4. Serious armed threats posed by the Communist Terrorist Groups (CTGs), and other threat groups including the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFFs), the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), the Maute Group, and other analogous threat groups as may be declared by the competent authority, or other paramilitary forces, private armies or identifiable armed bands widely perceived to have committed terrorism, fraud or other election irregularities and threaten or disrupt the holding of free, peaceful, honest, orderly, and credible elections in any political divisions, subdivisions, unit or area. “As regards to other areas, we are continuously upgrading and updating our assessment status,” the poll body chief added.
SC....
mayed by the High Court’s ruling. “We welcome the latest decision of the Supreme Court on Republic Act No. 11479, otherwise known as the ‘Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020,’” acting presidential spokesperson and Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said. Andanar said the SC’s latest move could be considered a “triumph” for the entire Filipinos, as he emphasized that RA 11479’s goal is to ramp up the country’s fight against terrorism. “We consider this latest High Court ruling a triumph for all peace-loving and law-abiding Filipinos as it serves as a stern warning against malevolent elements that the Philippines is not a safe haven for terrorists,” he said. “We remain convinced that these provisions (among them those that fail to define with clarity the offense of ‘terrorism’ and grant broad and sweeping powers to the Anti-Terrorism Council to issue arrest orders and authorize extended detention periods on mere suspicion) are not only dangerous, as they are prone to abuse, but also in violation of the Constitution,” said Jose Manuel “Chel’
Diokno, the FLAG national chairman, in a statement. Under RA 11479, people who are part of the planning and training for the commission of terrorism will face life imprisonment sans the benefit of parole and the benefits provided under RA 10592 or the Good Conduct Time Allowance Law. The anti-terror law also warns that any person who threatens to commit terror acts will suffer the penalty of 12-year imprisonment. It also states that people who propose to commit or join terror acts will be jailed for 12 years. Advocacy, protest, dissent, stoppage of work, industrial or mass action, and other similar exercises of civil and political rights not intended to cause death or serious physical harm to a person or to create a serious risk to public safety are not considered terror acts, according to RA 11479. The Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 also ensures that the use of torture and other “cruel, inhumane, and degrading” treatment or punishment against detained suspected terrorists is “absolutely prohibited.
(From page 1)
RA 11579, signed by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on July 3, 2020, aims to protect life, liberty, and property from terrorism deemed as “inimical and dangerous to the national security of the country and to the welfare of the people.” In a statement during its summer sessions here, the SC said it “resolved to deny the motions for reconsideration due to lack of substantial issues and arguments” raised by petitioners of more than three dozen suits. The members of the SC maintained their votes in December, written by now retired Philippine Judicial Academy Chancellor Rosmari Carandang. In December, the SC upheld the validity of the law except for two provisions. Malacañang welcomed the decision of the high court but several sectors bewailed the ruling. Two lawyers group - the FLAG and the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) - said they were dis-
1-877-456-9266 www.crispinlozanolaw.com • • • •
Deportation and Removal Defense Waiver of Misrepresentation Self Petition for Abused Spouse Waiver of Crimes and Inadmissibility • Fiancé Visa Petition
1290 B Street, Suite 205 Hayward, CA 94541
• Eliminate Credit Card Debts • Stop Collections and Harassments
17215 Studebaker RD., Suite 337 Cerritos, CA 90703
