Last month, in a deadly clash in Lanao del Norte province, Islamist militants affiliated with the Middle East-based Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) killed six commandos from the Philippine Army’s elite Scout Ranger battalion.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay’s call for the regulation of social media under the anti-terror law drew flak from various public officials and civil society groups for its potential to hinder freedom of speech online.
President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday signed into law the widely criticized Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, which critics fear could be used as a weapon to silence government critics and dissenters.