Progressive organizations in Davao City have denounced President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo�s signing of the anti-terrorism bill into law. They said the law, which Arroyo signed on Tuesday, would worsen the already worrisome human-rights situation in the country. It would also allow the government to brand as terrorists those groups who have legitimate political dissent, according to Ariel Casilao, secretary-general of Bayan in Southern Mindanao. �There will be no more distinction between terrorism and political offenses and legitimate dissent,� he said. �With the new law, the government becomes more powerful and will strike harder against those who question it,� Casilao said. Suara, a partylist group of Moros, pointed out that the state itself has been guilty of terrorism. Carlos Zarate of the Union of People�s Lawyers in Mindanao said his group would ask the Supreme Court to abolish the law. (Text by Grace S. Uddin/Photo by Barry Ohaylan, davaotoday.com)
