Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye pushed for the swift passage of the anti-terrorism bill after a local court sentenced to death three men, including an Indonesian, for the deadly bombings in Makati City early this year.

"We could bring more terrorists to justice if we had an anti-terrorism law in place," he said in a statement.

Bunye said the conviction of the three Makati bus bombers demonstrated the country’s criminal justice system is "fully consolidated in the fight against terrorists."

"We believe, however, that we can capture terrorists earlier, even before they strike, if we had stronger legal weapons," he argued.

"We therefore reiterate the President’s urgent call for congressional action on a most vital piece of legislation involving national and global security," he added.

The President has vigorously pushed for an antiterrorism law that includes the implementation of a national identification system.

She said the anti-terrorism law would add more teeth to the government’s war against terrorists and help plug the loopholes in the legal system that allow them anonymity and mobility.

But lawmakers have yet to act on the several pending anti-terrorism bills amid criticisms these would curtail civil liberties, particularly the right to privacy.

Opposition legislators have also rejected the anti-terrorism law for fear the government is gearing for an authoritarian rule to crack down on its critics.

The Makati Regional Trial Court on Friday found Indonesian Rohmat Abdurrohim, Gamal Baharan, and Angelo Trinidad guilty of multiple murder and multiple frustrated murder.

Abdurrohim is reportedly the first Jemaah Islamiyah operative to be convicted in the country. Baharan and Tapay were allegedly members of the Abu Sayyaf.

Malacañang considered the conviction as another victory in the country’s campaign against terrorism. It said government forces would continue to fight "those who bomb and kill for an irrational and God-less cause."