MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Sara Duterte is now caught in a twist of irony. The very law her father’s administration championed — the anti-terrorism law — is now being used against her.
Duterte said Wednesday, November 27, that the Marcos Jr. administration was making use of the four-year-old law to harass her.
The Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 grants authorities expanded powers to combat terrorism but has sparked controversy over concerns about human rights violations.
Signed into law in 2020, the measure replaced the 2007 Human Security Act and broadened the definition of terrorism to include acts aimed at influencing government policy or destabilizing national security.
Duterte confirmed during a news conference in Zamboanga City that a subpoena sent to her by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) showed she was under investigation for an alleged violation of the anti-terrorism law.
“Sinusubukan nila (They’re trying) to reach my properties and assets,” Duterte said.
Under the law, the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) can order the freezing of financial assets or properties connected to individuals or groups designated as terrorists. This includes assets used to fund terrorist activities or support terrorism-related organizations.
The law also allows the ATC to designate individuals or groups as terrorists without court approval and to detain suspects without charge for up to 24 days. It further permits increased surveillance, including electronic monitoring and wiretapping, with court approval.
Ironically, Sara was an advocate of the law that has been used to run after groups and individuals designated as terrorists.
She once served as co-vice chair of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), a body notorious for its aggressive red-tagging of activists, opposition figures, and anyone suspected of ties to the communist New People’s Army (NPA).
Now, as her own name appears in the crosshairs of the same legislation, the irony is undeniable: the very tool of state power she once used to silence dissent is now being turned against her.
On Tuesday, November 26, the NBI issued a subpoena to Duterte following her November 23 online tirade, during which she openly threatened President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and Speaker Martin Romualdez.
In the online outburst, a fuming Duterte volunteered information that she had asked a hitman to kill the Marcoses and Romualdez in the event she was assassinated.
The subpoena instructed Duterte to appear before NBI Director Jaime Santiago at his office on the morning of Friday, November 29, for an investigation into allegations of grave threats and a violation of the Anti-Terrorism Act.
Duterte said she has responded to the subpoena and requested a rescheduling. She cited a prior commitment, specifically her attendance at a House panel hearing scheduled for the same day, where she was due to address concerns over the spendings of the Office of the Vice President.
“They did this to Congressman Arnie Teves. They have a playbook on what to do to a person who will be charged with violation of the anti-terrorism law,” she said.
Teves served as an elected representative of Negros Oriental’s 3rd district until he was expelled by the House of Representatives following his designation as a terrorist.
Teves gained national attention in 2023 when he was named the mastermind behind the assassination of Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo. He was arrested by authorities in Timor Leste earlier this year.
Duterte said the Marcos Jr. administration was moving to do to her exactly what was done to Teves, including canceling her passport, placing her under international “red notice,” and freezing her assets.
“It’s not without precedent,” she said, adding that she anticipated her residence and other properties would be searched with authorities using the 2020 law.
Duterte said she has looked into what had happened to Teves and was informed that authorities had allegedly planted evidence against the former congressman. The same thing, she said, was likely to be done to her.
“This is purely oppression and harassment,” she said. – Rappler.com