Supreme Court (SC) (MANILA BULLETIN)
The National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) strongly condemned the Anti-Terror Law as it is “obviously used by the state to silence critics and to further narrow the people’s democratic spaces.”
The first day of oral arguments transpired at the Supreme Court on Tuesday wherein seven lawyers including Atty. Neri Colmenares, Atty. Chel Diokno, Representative Edcel Lagman, Atty. Evelyn Ursua, Atty. Alfredo Molo, former Solicitor General Jose Anselmo Cadiz and Moro lawyer Algaman Latiph faced the interpellations of Justice Rosmari Carandang, Senior Associate Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe and Justice Marvic Leonen.
The lawyers challenged the “terror law” and the unconstitutionality of its provisions. There were 37 petitions from different human rights advocate, lawyers, religious organizations, students and school administrators and individuals were filed to denounce Anti-Terror Law and most of these petitions seek the issuanc
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 2) No other law penalizes the exercise of civil and political rights based on a person’s intent, human rights lawyer Chel Diokno said during the Supreme Court’s oral arguments on the Anti-Terrorism Act on Tuesday.
“Worse, it allows the state to simply presume the existence of intent from the citizens’ acts even if the acts themselves do not constitute a crime,” said Diokno, one of the seven counsels of the petitioners seeking to junk the controversial law.
He argued mainly against Section 4 of the law, which states that advocacy, protest, dissent, and similar exercises of civil and political rights will not be considered terrorism as long as they are “not intended to cause death or serious physical harm to a person, to endanger a person’s life, or to create a serious risk to public safety.”
Marvic Leonen
Documents from the court show that aside from 82 unresolved en banc cases, Leonen also has 899 pending cases in the Third Division as of March 31, 2020.
The division’s Statistics on Judicial Pending Cases was signed by Division Clerk of Court Misael Domingo Battung erd.
Leonen has 199 cases classified as “aging” and 700 “non-aging” cases in the Third Division which he heads.
Non-aging cases are cases which are waiting for other pleadings to be submitted.
Justices Alexander Gesmundo, Rosmari Carandang, Rodil Zalameda and Samuel Gaerlan.
Leonen has been with the Supreme Court for eight years, having been appointed by President Benigno Aquino 3rd on Nov. 21, 2012. He turns 58 years old on December 29.
FILE: Facade of Supreme Court of the Philippines (PNA photo)
MANILA – The Supreme Court (SC) has clarified its earlier decision disallowing the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) from collecting and giving film amusement taxes as incentives to makers of certain “graded” movies.
In a resolution dated Nov. 3 penned by Senior Associate Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe and made available Thursday, the SC en banc clarified that the FDCP is “not required to return to the LGUs (local government units) all remittances already received by it from proprietors, operators or lessees of theaters or cinemas pursuant to its implementation of Sections 13 and 14 of RA (Republic Act) 9167 from the effectivity of RA 9167 up until October 15, 2019” when the court’s ruling on the case became final.