Several Catholic groups in the Philippines have issued statements against the country's new proposed anti-terrorism legislation. The new law allows suspected terrorists to be surveilled, arrested, and held in a way that bypasses due process and courts. And opponents fear that it defines terrorism too broadly and in such a way that any political dissent or attempts to organize could be interpreted as offenses under the new law. Opponents also fear that the country's already-existing fragility from COVID-19 will be worsened and that the legislation will not actually alleviate the country's conflicts. Statements against the bill have come from Caritas Philippines, the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines, and the Vincentians of the Philippines.
