ON June 5, several protesters went to the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu to protest the anti-terror bill while wearing face masks and standing meters away from each other to observe proper physical distancing protocols. Minutes later, hundreds of police in full riot gear arrived and dispersed the protesters, resulting in the arrest of six protesters and several others trapped inside the UP Cebu campus.

People online are agitated with the railroading of the anti-terror bill, now only awaiting President Rodrigo Duterte’s signature to pass into law. The bill is an attempt to amend the existing Human Security Act and contains several provisions that further endanger civil and political liberties.