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GOVERNMENT security officials said
on Friday that they would seek several amendments in the Human
Security Act of 2007 on the very first day the new law would take
effect in July.
The Human
Security Act of 2007, which President Arroyo has signed into law on
Tuesday, will take effect on July 15, or two months after the
midterm election in May.
The
Antiterrorism Task Force (ATTF) spokesman and Defense Undersecretary
Ricardo Blancaflor said that one of the amendments they would seek
is the lowering of fines against law enforcers.
“There will
be several amendments . . . one of which is [to lower] the very high
penalties,” Blancaflor told reporters during a forum for the Human
Security Act in Camp Aguinaldo.
Under the act,
law-enforcement agencies would have to pay compensation to persons
that have been wrongfully detained for the accusations or suspected
to be terrorists.
The
compensation is equivalent to P500,000 each day a person was
wrongfully detained and this would be sourced from the
appropriations of the security forces.
“It’s
[hefty penalties] impractical . . . that’s [equivalent] P180
million a year,” Blancaflor said, adding that they have yet to
convince a legislator that would agree to introduce amendments.
He said that
from the fine of P500,000 a day imposed on law enforcers, they would
seek this to be lowered down to P20,000 a day with a cap of P2
million.
The Human
Security Act of 2007 gave three-pronged definition to terrorisms to
wit: violations of any of 10 violations to the Revised Penal Codes
and presidential decrees.
The act
defines terrorisms as creating “widespread and extraordinary fear
and panic,” and to “coerce” the government to give in to
“unlawful demands.”
The violations
are for articles 122 (piracy in general and mutiny in the high
seas), 134 (rebellion or insurrection), 134-a (coup d’état), 248
(murder), 267 (kidnapping and serious illegal detention).
The others are
324 (crimes involving destruction), 5207 (Atomic Energy Regulatory
and Liability Act), 6235 (Antihijacking Law), and Presidential
Decrees 532 (Antipiracy and Antihighway Robbery Law of 1974) and
1866 (illegal possession of firearms and explosives).
 --Anthony
Vargas
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