MANILA, Philippines — A Supreme Court decision contradicts the claims made by proponents of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 that the measure enjoys the “presumption of constitutionality,” Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman said Wednesday. Lagman said the Supreme Court, in the case of Social Weather Stations vs. COMELEC, ruled that “a law which is challenged for imposing a prior restraint on the freedom of expression is presumed unconstitutional.”ADVERTISEMENT“Ordinarily, the presumption is that a law is constitutional. Further, Lagman said the decision categorically held that “… such a (contested) measure is vitiated by a weighty presumption of invalidity. One of the petitions was filed by Lagman on Monday. President Rodrigo Duterte earlier signed the controversial measure into law even despite massive opposition from various sectors and on social media.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer July 08, 2020 05:37 UTC