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<img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-8/senator-lacson.webp" alt="Senator Panfilo Lacson" />
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(Senator Panfilo Lacson)
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Lacson, principal sponsor of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, reiterated the US lawmakers should look into their own anti-terrorism measure which has harsher penalties than that signed by President Duterte signed on July 3, 2020.  Lacson said:
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"I wonder how many among those 50 or so members of the US Congress voted in favor of their own country's Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001." 
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He cited provisions of the American anti-terrorism law that allow the operation of the Guantánamo Bay detention facility and the indefinite detention without trial of suspected terrorists, not to mention the torture and breach of detainee human rights, suicides and suicide attempts.
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Lacson said these incidents have been reported by Amnesty International and all in violation of the due process clause of the US Constitution.
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He also said the American Anti-Terrorism Law allows one-party consent in the conduct of electronic or technical surveillance. Lacson stressed this provision is not allowed under Republic Act (RA) 11479. He said:
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"Our Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 is replete with safeguards to ensure that human rights of suspected terrorists are observed and protected. What the US Congress passed as their version of the anti-terrorism law is much stronger, even cruel to some extent because their policymakers and citizenry give the highest premium to the security of their country and the protection of US citizens stationed anywhere in the world," he said.
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"That said, these US Congress members should shut up unless they admit to being a bunch of hypocrites."
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On Thursday, July 16, 2020, Senate President Vicente Sotto III, principal author of RA 11479, also slammed "misinformed" US lawmakers who called for the repeal of the country's Anti-Terrorism Act.
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Sotto said the US senators should "mind their own business" as they have more heavy-handed and stricter anti-terrorism laws compared to the local measure that he said is flooded with safeguards.
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In a virtual press conference Wednesday night, US Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky said she and her colleagues have summoned Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez asking the government to repeal the new Anti-Terrorism Act.  She said:
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"I, along with my 45 colleagues sent a letter this morning to the government of the Philippines. We sent it to the ambassador of the Philippines to the United States calling for the immediate repeal of this law." 
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The US lawmaker said the law is "overbroad" and may be used "to stifle peaceful dissent and target civil society, including human and labor rights groups."
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<strong>Sources</strong>: 
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Shut up you hypocrites, Hananeel Bordey, July 18, 2020,  <a href="https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2020/07/18/shut-up-you-hypocrites/" class="news_link" target="_blank" title="Source">The Daily Tribune Headlines</a>
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US congress members should shut up unless they admit to being a bunch of hypocrites - Lacson on Anti-Terrorism Law