Albay Representative Edcel Lagman on Tuesday defended the Human Rights Defenders Protection Bill amid criticism from the federal government’s anti-insurgency activity pressure, which known as it a “grave, vicious, and insidious threat” in opposition to democracy.
“The NTF-ELCAC is hallucinating of an increased communist-terrorist menace to be fueled by the approval of the proposed Human Rights Defenders Protection Act,” Lagman stated in an announcement, referring to the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
According to Lagman, NTF-ELCAC’s “hyperbolic assault” on the proponents of the invoice justifies the enactment of such regulation.
Lagman is among the many authors of the proposed Human Rights Defenders Protection Act or House Bill 77.
“The NTF-ELCAC’s hyperbolic assault of red-tagging the authors and supporters of HB No. 77, as well as authentic HRDs (human rights defenders), is the best argument for the immediate enactment of the law protecting HRDs from the intimidation, harassment, and liquidation by agents of the State,” he stated.
The veteran lawmaker famous that the safety sector, which kinds a part of the NTF-ELCAC, was consulted on crafting the committee-approved HRD Protection invoice.
“The proposed law does not repeal the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, Anti-Money Laundering Law and the Terrorism Financing, Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012,” Lagman stated.
“These statutes remain enforceable in the proper cases with due respect and protection to authentic HRD.”
Lagman additionally stated payments an identical to HB No. 77 had been handed by the House of Representatives on third and remaining studying in the course of the seventeenth and 18th Congresses “without any valid opposition from the NTF-ELCAC.”
In an announcement on Monday, the NTF-ELCAC known as on the general public to “unequivocally reject” House Bill No. 77 and to “enjoin their District Representatives to junk the said Bill on sight, upon its introduction in the plenary for its Second Reading.” —Llanesca T. Panti/KBK, GMA Integrated News
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
