On 14 October 2020, the Anti-Terrorism Council passed a resolution approving the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.

The Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 is the most recent effort to address the issue of terrorism and all allied activities, while at the same time ensuring the protection of our civil and political rights. In the preparation of the implementing rules and regulations, the Anti-Terrorism Council revisited the Constitution, prevailing laws, other implementing rules and regulations, jurispridence, even the Rules of Court. This is to ensure that executive prerogatives are tempered by the Constitution, prevailing law, and jurisprudence and, if necessary, by available judicial remedies.

The implementing rules and regulations seeks to explain how to put the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 into effect and what a citizen must do -- or must not do -- to comply with the law. The implementing rules and regulations thus contains very detailed provisions on terrorism and terrorism-related crimes, on surveillance, on designation of terrorist individuals and organizations, on proscription, on the examination of bank accounts, among others.

More importantly, the implementing rules and regulations, consistent with the declared policy of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, very clearly sets out the role that the Anti-Terrorism Council will play in ensuring that policies and programs are in place to address terrorism and its root causes.

Click here to view the full Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.