May 5, 2005

US MEDDLING
Tempers flare in House anti-terrorism hearing
By Philip C. Tubeza
May 5, 2005
Page A5

THE HOUSE hearings on the anti-terrorism bill yesterday had to be suspended after some legislators accused the United States Embassy of interfering in the crafting of the proposed law.

"Tempers are flaring and so that we could cool off, the hearing is adjourned,'' said Rep. Antonio Cuenco, chair of the House foreign affairs committee, which is conducting the hearings jointly with the justice committee.

Tensions rose after Gabriela party-list Rep. Liza Maza demanded an explanation for the reported meeting between a US political officer and the secretariat of the technical working group that consolidated the 10 anti-terror bills.

Lanao del Sur Rep. Benasing Macarambon joined Maza and accused the technical working group of taking dictation from the United States.

"[The anti-terror bill] is not a bill of Congress. This is a bill again emanating from the US....I want to know who are the members of the technical working [group] because we are very suspicious. Maybe [US President George] Bush has a man here,'' he added.

This drew a strong reaction from Cuenco, the justice committee chair Rep. Simeon Datumanong and Para¤aque Rep. Roilo Golez, a former national security adviser.

"This substitute bill is the result of the efforts of the technical working group to which the secretariat was authorized to join by the committee. But the two did not take any dictation from any outside source except their own offices,'' Datumanong said.

"In other words, it did not come from the US. It did not come from any other source,'' he said.
The technical working group includes representatives from the National Security Council, the Department of Justice, the Anti-Terrorism Task Force, the National Intelligence Coordinating Council and the Anti-Money laundering Council.

Maza said a member of her staff had attended a meeting of the technical working group on Feb. 24, where Narcisa Guevarra, the justice committee secretary, had told the group that she had met with a member of the US Embassy on Feb 22.

She said the meeting pertained to certain provisions of the bill, particularly on proscription and membership in terror groups.

The technical working group did not record all the deliberations of the meeting but only took notes of what happened, Macarambon said.

Maza and Macarambon said that the consolidated bill contained provisions that were not in the original 10 bills, hinting that the US might have had a hand in the insertions.

Macarambon said the making of the anti-terror bill could turn out the way of the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA), which he claimed had been written mainly by the controversial US consultancy, Agile, which has been accused of lobbying for the passage of the AMLA.

"The Anti-Money Laundering Law was actually crafted by the Agile, which is clearly a US establishment with the CIA [the US Central Intelligence Agency] or whatever.....How many congressmen or senators were paid on the anti-terror bill to conform to the US?'' Macarambon said.

Datumanong said that if there were any provisions which were not found in the original 10 house bills, they "were added for the purpose of making more clear any provision of the bill; to clearly make the measure understood for purpose of enforcement.''

"The chair would like to respond to the accusation insinuation that this committee was influenced by any power on earth. We are not going to be influenced by anyone. Your committee on foreign affairs will act on its own for the best interest of the Filipino people. We will not be dictated by anyone,'' Cuenco said. With a report from Franco Emman Von Cena