The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) lambasted the Macapagagal-Arroyo regime for again reviving the Anti-Terror bill and the National ID system (NIDS), in the wake of the Valentine’s day bombings. 

According to Ka Willy Marbella, spokesperson of the group, “these two proposals are like zombies, and are always coming back from the grave. The NIDS have been proposed since the time of former president Fidel Ramos, revived during Erap’s time, during the 9/11 attacks in New York in 2001,revived last 2003 and now it is being revived again. While the anti-terror bill have been proposed since 2001, then 2003, then again this year. Can’t the government get it that these measures will constantly be opposed by the people, because it will definitely be used to  suppress our civil liberties,”

“The Supreme Court itself on its decision 7 years ago promulgated that the NIDS is unconstitutional. It seems that every regime is hellbent in imposing these repressive measures to quell or intimidate the growing sentiment of the people to topple the pro-imperialist and anti-people administrations that had passed,”

As for his part Carl Anthony Ala, public information officer of KMP, “any opening or pretext is being used by the current regime to pass these “terror bills”,and it is a portent of more repressive bills still to come. These bills targets are not terrorists per se but the peasants, workers, professionals and other concerned individuals who dare to raise their voices against the regime. Besides there are enough laws to protect the so-called peace in the current system, it is the enforcers that are sleeping on the job and worse they are the ones involved in the terror attacks,”

“Another question for the regime is how about “state-terror” that it is launching against the people? That is why the top human rights violators are the AFP, PNP and their para-military groups. The Anti-terror bill and the National ID system would just be additional weapons to be aimed at the people,” ended Ala. # # #
 

KMP - 20 February 2005