Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddy Boy Locsin (Photo courtesy by SCMP)
MANILA — Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddy Boy Locsin on Friday, 24 July 2020, encouraged critics to read the entire anti-terrorism law before hurling uninformed judgment.
Sec. Locsin stated that the purpose of the new Anti-Terrorism Act or Republic Act No. 11479 is “to prevent something that we have yet to experience in its full scale, that is a terrorist attack.”
“It’s aimed, not aimed at the Armed Forces, for its armed for its job is to fight, it’s aimed at civilians, totally powerless against the carnage of a terrorist attack, this is the law that prevents it,” Locsin said.
“I suggest to its critics to read the law . . . it (the law) cannot be abused, it can only be misused by law enforcement authorities,” Locsin said. “But, the penalties for law enforcement authorities are horrendous.”
He said this item of the law is the improvement on the version he introduced back then, during his days as a legislator at the House of Representatives.
“When the abuser cannot be found . . . his commanding officer goes to jail in place of that abusive officer,” he said.
“Where do you find that? I don’t think you’ll ever find that in the Patriot Act, that’s the kind of law that Ping Lacson and others put together,” he said. (MTVN)
