CABANATUAN CITY – “Ako po ay sang-ayon sa panawagan ng ating Pangulo kasama ni Secretary [Delfin] Lorenzana at Secretary [Eduardo] Año na protektahan ang ating bayan laban sa terorismo.“
Thus, Nueva Ecija 3rd District Rep. Rosanna Vergara opened her explanation for her vote on the anti-terror bill Wednesday. She was one of the 31 lawmakers who voted against the bill.
Vergara said she “cannot stress enough our unified sentiments that this matter is of the highest priority especially for all of us in government.”
“Nakita natin ito sa Marawi. Through our respective mandates, our democratic government has since endeavored to protect our people from the viciousness of terrorist activities,” the lady solon said as she expressed belief that the country’s existing laws are enough to fight terrorism.
The capability to act in unity against the common enemy, she added, was evident when Mindanao was placed under martial law during the Marawi siege.
“As legislators, we propose and pass laws that will address any and all threats that would destabilize our country. However, while we now aggressively seek to protect our people against the threat of terrorism, we unfortunately run the risk of violating the fundamental right of every Filipino to a safe and comfortable life where due process and democratic freedom are fiercely upheld,” Vergara said.
For this reason, she explained, the legislators have to “exercise the necessary caution and prudence in considering such measures that could threaten among others the right to free speech, which allows us to air our grievances in a peaceful manner without fear of reprisal from those whose views are contrary to ours.”
Vergara further expressed her belief that without further refinement and consideration, the provisions of the proposed Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 are “at risk ofunbridled interpretation that could do more harm than good to the very population we aim to protect.”
“Dasal ko na magkaroon ng pagbabago ng pananaw ang mga kinatawan na bumubuo ng bicameral committee, bigyan ng pagkakataon na ma-amyendahan ang mga kritikal na bahagi ng panukalang ito na maaaring maabuso,” Vergara said.
She added: “Sa ganitong paraan ay mapanatili nating matatag ang ating demokrasyang patuloy nating pinaglalaban.”
It can be recalled that Vergara was only one from 22 legislators of Central Luzon who voted against the slash in the budget of the Commission on Human Rights in 2017.
