THE Philippines’ Supreme Court (SC) is looking at the possibility of adding more courts to handle terrorism cases involving crimes under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 if the need arises, a court official said on Thursday.
There are currently 14 courts nationwide designated to try and decide on terrorism cases, Court Administrator Raul B. Villanueva said during a congressional budget briefing.
“We will look into, if there’s a need, to come up and designate additional anti-terrorism courts,” he said.
“In the meantime, we only have one per each region and two in Metro Manila,” he added.
The Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 is a controversial measure that drew harsh criticism from activists and human rights groups due to concerns that it could undermine civil liberties. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio