1. In a December 2021 decision, the Philippine Supreme Court declared most provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act constitutional, including the section on detention without a judicial warrant of arrest. The Court struck down only two portions of the law: (1) the proviso in Section 4 penalizing as terrorism any exercise of civil and political rights based on perceived intention to cause harm or endanger safety; and (2) the power of the Anti-Terrorism Council to approve requests by other states and supranational entities to designate persons as terrorists under Section 25. Human rights defenders, journalists, youth and other civic actors have since sought reconsideration of the Philippine Supreme Court’s decision. Nevertheless, the Supreme Court announced in April 2022 it would uphold with finality most of the anti-terror law, which means that the most concerning clauses in the law, such as arrest and detention without warrant and terrorist designation through an arbitrary process of the executive anti-terror council, will be applied to suspected terrorists. Critics of the law continue to argue the law will be weaponized to target political opposition, activists, and even ordinary dissenters.
2. Both Houses of the Philippine Congress ratified a proposed law requiring the registration of SIM cards with public telecommunications entities in February 2022. The proposed SIM Card Registration Act also required the disclosure of one’s real name and phone number upon creation of a social media account. Digital rights advocates, human rights defenders, and civil society groups called for its veto, fearing that the law may be used to encroach on the right to privacy and free expression in the country. On April 15, 2022, President Duterte vetoed the SIM Card Registration Act, however, noting that the proposed law might “give rise to a situation of dangerous state intrusion and surveillance threatening many constitutionally protected rights.”