Human Security Act

The Human Security Act of 2007 (RA 9372) is a Philippine law that took effect on February 8, 2007. This law is one of the most primary anti-terrorism law that brings the Philippines in line with its Southeast Asian neighbors battling Islamist militants. It is aimed at tackling militants in the southern Philippines.

The law defines terrorism a crime by describing, "causes widespread and extraordinary fear and panic among the populace" and allows authorities to arrest terror suspects without warrants and temporarily detain them without charges. Under the law, detained terrorists are entitled to see a lawyer, a priest, a doctor, or family members.

Background

The Anti-Terror Bill was first filed in congress by Senator Juan Ponce Enrile in 1996.

The final version was crafted with amendments by Senators Manny Villar and Aquilino Pimentel, Jr.. These revisions introduced several amendments and safeguards that have caused the law to be called "toothless" and "watered down". It was ratified by the Senate on February 8, then approved by the House of Representatives during a special session two weeks later on February 19, 2007. It was later signed into law by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on March 6. It took effect on July 15, 2007.

Rizal Law

Republic Act No. 1425, known as the Rizal Law, mandates all educational institutions in the Philippines to offer courses about José Rizal. The full name of the law is An Act to Include in the Curricula of All Public and Private Schools, Colleges and Universities Courses On the Life, Works and Writings of Jose Rizal, Particularly His Novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, Authorizing the Printing and Distribution Thereof, and for Other Purposes. The measure was strongly opposed by the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines due to the anti-clerical themes in Noli Me Tángere and El Filibusterismo.

History

Senator Claro M. Recto was the main proponent of the Rizal Bill. He sought to sponsor the bill at Congress. However, this was met with stiff opposition from the Catholic Church. During the 1955 Senate election, the church charged Recto with being a communist and an anti-Catholic. After Recto's election, the Church continued to oppose the bill mandating the reading of Rizal's novels Noli Me Tángere and El Filibusterismo, claiming it would violate freedom of conscience and religion.

List of Philippine laws

This article contains a partial list of Philippine laws.

Designations used for Philippine laws

Philippine laws have had various nomenclature designations at different periods in the history of the Philippines, as shown in the following table:

Notable Laws

The following table lists of Philippine laws which have been mentioned in Wikipedia, or which are otherwise notable.

Enumeration of Philippine Laws

See also

References

Full enumeration (External)

The text of many Philippine laws can be found on the following sites: