UST, UP Diliman oppose Anti-Terrorism Act

The University of Santo Tomas (UST) and the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) have opposed the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, expressing concerns that it could undermine civil rights.

Both universities fear the bill's passage will lead to arbitrary arrests, prolonged detention without charge, and a lack of accountability for law enforcement agents.

UPD specifically condemned the suppression of legitimate protest and the violation of UP campuses as recognized sanctuaries for political dissent, citing the violent dispersal of a protest and arrests within UP Cebu which violated the 1989 UP-Department of National Defense Peace Accord.

Both UST and UPD believe the proposed law sows fear and division when the country should be united in combating the COVID-19 pandemic, urging the government to prioritize this fight.

UP Diliman has called on President Duterte to veto the act, expressing alarm over its legal provisions contravening the democratic spirit of the 1987 Constitution.

Concerns include threats to freedom of expression, association, the right to be presumed innocent, due process, privacy of communication, and the broad definition of terrorism.