You can't curtail mobility

Republic Act 9372 is known as an anti-terror law. It is also called the Human Security Act of 2007. I believe it should be more known as the Terror Law. It terrorizes everybody: the rebels, the insurgents, the human rightists, and even the police who believe it lacks teeth.

I went over the text and did not find what has been feared by many except its Sec. 26 which is about "Restriction of Travel."

In this it will fail, especially with our program for tourism. History is full of stories on how travel was restricted to solve rebellion, insurgency, or insurrection. They all failed.

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Do you know why, in Iloilo, the first letter of one's family name is of the same letter of the town one comes from? From San Joaquin, you have Serra, Serag, Sedigo, Saratan … Miagao has Montaño, Monteclaro, Mueda … Guimbal has its Garin, Gelvezon …. Tigbauan has its Torres, Tueres … up to the North.

The only errors are Igbaras starts with "E" because a stupid Spaniard pronounced it "Egbaras" and said all surnames should start with "E" that's why Ealdama, Espeleta, Evidente, and of course, Esleyer.

And Janiuay surnames start with "A" because the same stupid Spaniard pronounced it "Aniuay" so it should start with "A." In Leon the family names start with "C" because its original name was "Camando."

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Why was this imposed? In 1850 there was a strong insurrection in Iloilo and the Spanish authorities wanted to restrict travel. So, family names were changed and "cedulas" or residence certificates were issued. When a Guardia Civil or we call it policeman now caught you in another town and your cedula gives you your name, you are an "insurecto." If it is today, an "insurecto" can have as much as 10 cedulas.

Did this solve the insurrection? No! By the turn of the century, the Spaniards were just confirmed in the city as rebels were inching in.

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Another case. In the 1980s, "Operation Thunderbolt" by the Army here headed by General Raymundo Jarque tried to do hamleting in the south, especially in Cantomanyog. People were made to gather to identify the rebels and in the evenings a movie "Killing Fields" was shown to show the atrocities of the communists.

I recall asking General Jarque how he gathered them. An artillery expert, Jarque shelled the northern part, then the southern part, then the eastern and western part of Cantomanyog and so people had to run to the plaza. Effective. But, did this solve the insurgency?

It's still there.

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I don't know how Republic Act 9372 will be judged later.

One thing I know is that there have been very many laws that came out to be errors.

The EPIRA law or the one called the Power Industry Reform Act is supposed to solve our power industry. But many said, the law as crafted turned out to be a boon for power producers rather than power consumers.

When Fidel Ramos took over as president, there was power shortage and he asked for a law giving him the authority to sign contracts with independent power producers. This started the spiral of electricity costs because there were loopholes in the law that led to having IPPs supplying power and getting paid even if they did not deliver the right amount of power.

But, the worst law passed is the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Act. It called for agrarian reform all over the country but before this could be implemented, President Aquino before signing the bill to be made into a law, her Hacienda Luisita was given an exemption.

Now, if there are troubles in the countryside, it is because of this defective agrarian reform law. And our legislature does not seem to be capable of correcting them.

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Magna Carta, history always tells us, was the first step towards establishing democracy. England's King John was forced to sign in 1215 this law. And it has always been trumpeted to be that, a help to the poor.

Was it? No! In a book, "Truth About History," it says, Magna Carta "was the work of the nobles, the landed, and the rich."

It won but little benefit for England's landless serfs. "Close analysis shows that it was a smokescreen to hide the motives of the self-serving nobility."

Magna Carta lists the names of the beneficiaries as "archbishops, bishops, abbots, serfs, earls, barons, justiciaries, foresters, sheriffs, stewards, servants, bailiffs, and loyal subjects."

Not the landless. It was for the free, not the unfree.

How many laws do we have that are made to appear they are for the poor but on close scrutiny, they are for the rich?*

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