THE government, speaking through Press Secretary Rose Beatrix Cruz-Angeles and Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, is determined to file another proscription case against the CPP-NPA-NDF. This is because they argue that the decision of the regional trial court that dismissed the petition filed by the Justice department used the Human Security Act (HSA) of 2007, or RA 9372, and not the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) of 2020 or RA 11479.

A quick perusal of the two laws will however reveal that, in fact, the government's case may be further weakened if it persists in filing a proscription case using the ATA. Let us consider how the HSA has defined terrorism in Section 3: