Nationwide round-up

Zarate seeks postponement of anti-terror bill transmittal

AN OPPOSITION lawmaker has asked House Speaker Alan Peter S. Cayetano to postpone the transmittal of the anti-terrorism bill to the President’s office, citing representatives who expressed intent to change or clarify their vote on the proposed law that has been widely criticized as a threat to civil liberties. In a letter dated June 8, House Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Party-List Rep. Carlos Isagani T. Zarate said the request “aims to give the other Representatives ample time to register their desire to have their votes correctly counted and recorded, and, for the House Secretariat to make the necessary corrections, if warranted.” Among the provisions of the bill, which will amend the Human Security Act, is giving authority to the Anti-Terror Council made up of Cabinet officials to carry out functions otherwise reserved for courts, such as ordering the arrest of suspected terrorists. It also allows the state to keep a suspect in jail without an arrest warrant for 14 days from three days now. The House of Representatives adopted the Senate version and was approved last week on final reading, doing away with the bicameral conference committee. The bill will become law upon signing by President Rodrigo R. Duterte. — Genshen L. Espedido

State agents begin probe on Facebook duplicate accounts

THE Department of Justice-Office of Cybercrime, along with the police and National Bureau of Investigation, has started looking into “all possible angles and leads” on the proliferation of duplicate accounts on Facebook. Justice Undersecretary Markk L. Perete said 112 users have reported dummy accounts using their names. Mr. Perete said they are authorized to issue “preservation orders” on significant data pending investigation. “The preservation of these data, as well as the determination of the subscriber information of those responsible is essential for us to determine why these so-called ghost accounts exist in the first place,” he told reporters in a mobile phone message. The number of affected users are estimated to be more. The initial batch of accounts has been reported to Facebook Asia Pacific, to be taken down with a request for reservation. Suspects may be charged with computer-related identity theft under the Cybercrime Prevention Act. “This gives me cause for worry. We don’t need false information at a time when we’re dealing with a serious public health crisis,” Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra said. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas