AN OPPOSITION congressman wants a clarification of how the House of Representatives voted last week on a bill seeking to strengthen the country’s anti-terror law after some of his colleagues changed their mind.

In a letter to the House secretary general dated June 6, Albay Rep. Edcel C. Lagman cited a need to verify the votes because there “appears to be some confusion on the tabulation of votes as evidenced by changes and corrections made in the result of the voting by the attending staff of the secretariat.”

Mr. Lagman said counting must be based on individual voting in plenary and through the Zoom app.

He also said the certification should include the names of those who changed their votes.

“A public disclosure of the voting record would also afford representatives to clarify how they actually voted or that they did not vote at all,” Mr. Lagman said.

Several lawmakers changed their votes after the bill was approved on third and final reading on Wednesday.

Albay Rep. Jose Maria Clemente S. Salceda withdrew his support for the measure and registered an abstention instead.

“While the bill would help law enforcement in prosecuting suspects, some definitions must be tightened to ensure the protection of the rights of the people,” he said in a letter dated June 5. “Provisions inconsistent with human rights and the 1987 Constitution must also be amended.”

Deputy Speaker and Antique Rep. Lorna Regina B. Legarda also denied having co-authored the bill that critics said would allow the state to violate human rights.

Muntinlupa Rep. Rozzano Rufino B. Biazon withdrew his principal authorship of the bill, saying “there are inputs of House members that could refine and polish it to be more acceptable.”

The measure allows an Anti-Terror Council (ATC) made up of Cabinet officials to do functions otherwise reserved for courts, such as ordering the arrest of suspected terrorists. It also allows the state to keep a suspect in jail without an arrest warrant for 14 days from three days now.

It also considers attacks that cause death or serious injury, extensive damage to property and manufacture, possession, acquisition, transport and supply of weapons or explosives as terrorist acts.

The bill, which will repeal the Human Security Act, was to be submitted to the presidential palace for President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s signature.

The Senate passed the bill as early as February. Mr. Duterte certified the bill as urgent last week. — Genshen L. Espedido

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