The Anti-Terrorism Law is no less than a vicious act of power grab passed under the pretext of national security amid the coronavirus pandemic, presenting a stern peril against Philippine democracy. Replacing the Human Security Act of 2007. The new law criminalizes an abstruse new offense: the incitement of terrorism “by means of speeches, proclamations, writings, emblems, banners or other representations without taking any direct part in the commission of terrorism.” Section 29 authorizes law enforcement to arrest and detain, without a warrant and for fourteen to twenty-four days, anyone suspected of any terrorism offense including those accused of incitement.
