On December 12, CODE-NGO hosted the online forum on Protecting Civic Space and the Anti-Terror Act was conducted via Zoom. The forum was participated by various CSOs and members of the academe. This initiative is part CODE-NGO’s effort to start the discussion and raise awareness on strategies and mechanisms for protection against possible abuses to fundamental rights.

The shrinking civic space has been a long overdue issue in the development sector. With the recent development and passage of Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 (ATA) into law in July, brought bigger concerns particularly for several human rights groups and the public itself. Up to date, there have been 37 petitions questioning the ATA’s constitutionality before the Supreme Court – one of the petitions came from CODE-NGO , together with three (3) development and humanitarian organization networks.

Some of the repressive provisions of the ATA are as follows: (1) inclusion of a broadly-defined new crime called “inciting to commit terrorism”; (2) creation of an Anti-Terrorism Council authorized to mark “terrorists” and freeze their assets without a judicial process; (3) expansion of surveillance of a suspect’s personal communications; and (4) authorization of government forces to detain suspects without warrant of arrest.

The ATA became law at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. While we recognize the need to stop the spread of the virus, the restrictions because of COVID-19 have hampered the operations and advocacy work of CSOs. In addition to this, the ATA may pose a threat as well to public dissent and freedom of expression.

This raises the question of where do development CSOs stand in the context of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, and how will this affect their advocacy and overall public service delivery?

Distinguished experts, Atty. Macki Maderazo discussed the ATA and its implementing rules and regulations and; Atty. Dondi Justiniani talked about the risk mitigation measures and legal remedies CSOs may employ.

The ICNL Project

CODE-NGO, through the support of the International Center for Not-For-Profit Law (ICNL) is implementing a short-term project on protecting civic space in Asia-Pacific during COVID-19. The project objectives are as follows: drafted initial level risk mitigation and LGU engagement plan to implement at the local level; document abuses related to the ATA implementation and; develop a citizen’s communication plan.

CODE-NGO is coordinating with its partners for this 1-month long project: Cordillera Network of Development NGOs & POs (CORDNET), Central Visayas Network of NGOs (CENVISNET), and Aksyon sa Kahandaan sa Kalamidad at Klima (AKKMA).

Follow CODE-NGO on Facebook at www.facebook.com/caucusofdevelopmentngonetworks to be updated about the status of the ICNL project.