Consumers Domain
By Ian Seruelo

Anti-terror ID system

"Fear is that little darkroom where negatives are developed."
— Michael Pritchard

Currently, there is so much talk about terrorism. Indeed, much has changed since the dead ly 9/11 event. Fear which has gripped the American nation and which has been h ardened by the so-called 'war on terror' has reached our shores so swiftly. The inculcation of fear in us has been so intense. We seem to believe that anytime soon we or a love one will perish in another terrorist attack.

Such is the success in the indoctrination of fear among the Americans and now us Filipinos that we are willing to give so much of our hard-earned rights to stop these so called terror attacks.

But is this fear well-founded? Or is this fear campaign only meant to give legitimacy to wars of aggression of the US in its quest for economic gains and political hegemony?

Looking at it closely, we will see that much of this terror fear are bullshit. The fact is more people in the world die of hunger each day compared to those who die in a terror attack. The fact is more people die each day because of lack of access to medicines compared to those who are blown to death by terror bombs. The fact is more people die of cancer per day than those killed by suicide bombers.

The fact is more people die of traffic accidents per day than those who are murdered by terrorists. The fact is more people die each day in many other causes compared to those victimized by terrorist.

Now, I don't say we don't do something to stop these violence. But for heaven's sake lets not give up our freedoms, our rights, our democracy for this overly-hyped ‘war on terror'.

Below this column is featuring a manifesto against the Anti-Terrorism Bill and the National ID System.

IN DEFENSE OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND GENUINE SECURITY

We, the undersigned civil society groups, trade unions, farmers and fishers groups, social movements, political parties, professional associations, NGOs, urban poor, women's, youth, human rights, lawyers and other organizations and individuals, state our absolute opposition against the abusive and daunting anti-'terror' bill and the National ID System(NIS).

These measures will not deter terrorism. Instead, they will give government officials, politicians, the military, the police, employers and other vested interest parties a double-edged weapon for the abusive and arbitrary use of power.

Contrary to President Arroyo¹s rationale that the NIS will contribute greatly to the convenience of its citizens and efficiency of public services, granting the government and other entities the authority and the right to compile dossiers in networked databases on all Filipinos gives them dangerous tools to facilitate abuses.

This provides unheeded government capability in exploiting its powers through mass surveillances (monitoring and recording people's activities, movement, and transactions), 'data-mining' (electronic analysis of databases to calculate the supposed risk posed by individuals), and 'profiling' (assignment of risk levels based solely on individuals' ethnicity, religious beliefs or political involvement).

If other governments and their security agencies are allowed free access to our database, the NIS will subject us to abuse not only by our own government but by other states that we cannot hold accountable. Moreover, billions of taxpayers' money will be needed to implement such a large scale project putting primary services such as education and health on the sidelines yet again.

By rolling back legal safeguards enshrined to protect our human rights and civil liberties, the passage of a vaguely defined anti-‘terror' law will give the government power to search, wiretap on, freeze the assets of, arrest, and detain suspected Filipinos ­ without reasonable proof.

The contentious provisions in the bill give the authorities a wider berth for violations such as torture and ill-treatment. It relieves the government of its obligation to prove sufficient grounds and secure court orders for its operations and at the same time, the bill denies us of due process. The anti-terror law deems us all guilty unless proven otherwise. But the burden of proof is on us, not on the state.

All these do not make us feel safe. An anti-‘terror' law and the NIS cannot guarantee the prevention of ‘terrorism': Relaxing existing legal safeguards against state abuses cannot assure the apprehension and prosecution of 'terrorists.' Also, the enormous inability of the government to implement human rights safeguards in its pursuance of national security and public safety and order is an assurance that the safeguards provided in both, however minimal they are, will be overlooked.

Instead of ensuring our safety, the anti-‘terror' law and NIS are guaranteed to keep us in constant danger. Their implementation will predictably lead to the surveillance, restriction of movement, and detention of many innocent Filipinos. The powers that they will give to the government and its Anti-Terrorism Council, a monster agency to be created as provided in the 'terror' law that is composed of agencies famous for inefficiency, ineffectiveness and abusive behavior, will be used to intensify repression,crack down on legitimate dissent, stifle protest, and further undermine democracy.

Allowing for the implementation of the National ID System and the passage of the Anti-Terrorism Bill furthers the government's direction towards a police/military state reminiscent of the Martial Law Era during the Marcos regime.

We refuse to sacrifice genuine security for imaginary safety.

We call on the government to abandon the anti-terror bill and the NIS. We call on our elected representatives to block the passage and implementation of these measures. We call on the judiciary to affirm their illegality. We call on all Filipinos to unite against mass surveillance and repression and stand for real security through the attainment of genuine peace, justice and human rights.

* * * * *

This manifesto was signed by the PEOPLE'S SECURITY NETWORK (PSN). Signatories as of May 31, 2005 includes Akbayan! Citizens Action Party, ALAMIDP, Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL), Amnesty International Pilipinas, Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines-Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation Commission (AMRSP-JPICC),

Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines-Women and Gender Commission (AMRSP-WGC), BALAY Rehabilitation Center, Bantay ICT, Bukluran ng Sosyalistang Isip at Gawa (BISIG), Coalition Against Trafficking of Women - Asia Pacific (CATW-AP), Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance (FIND), Focus on the Global South,
Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC), Gathering for Peace, KAMAO, Kilusan Para sa Pambansang Demokrasya (KPD), League of Urban Poor Advocates (LUPA), Labor Education Advocacy Research Network (LEARN), Liga Manggagawa, LIKHAAN, MAKALAYA,

Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA), PIGLAS, Resource Center for People's Development (RCPD), SOCIALISTA, Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP), University of the Philippines Institute of Human Rights (UPIHR).
Readers are encouraged to send their support for the statement. Please send your name and/or organization name to the contact information below.

(For comments and reactions send SMS to 0919-348-6337 or email to ianseruelo@yahoo.com.)