MERGED: Revival of Anti-Subversion Law (RA 1700)

[balatucan]

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After media arrest at Manila Pen, then the anti subversion law. After the passing of anti subversion law, martial law. After martial law, then stay as President even beyond 2010. Sus Ginoo!

Ninez Cacho Olivarez said it best about the law's revival.

http://www.tribune.net.ph/commentary/20071215com2.html

As Esperon put it, he doesn’t just want people penalized for being a communist member. He said what matters more are also the “actions� such as when one is “seen with armed groups or when you are, for example, campaigning and armed groups join you, and when your campaign materials are captured in, recovered in encounters. Those things should be punishable under this proposed law.�

The better and easier for the military to just link anyone it pleases to the communist group? And to have the legal tool to kick out the leftists from Congress, who have taken up the parliamentary struggle path?

With the repeal of the law, it is not a crime to be a member of the communist party. But for Esperon, it is not enough penalty for one to be a member of the party. Even being seen with commies should be enough to haul that person (and no doubt it will be a political foe of his patroness, Gloria) to jail and rot there without bail and worse, even shoot him down like a dog, for being seen with a commie.

Heck, even as the law has been repealed, Gloria and her military, along with her police, have been known to be using words like subversive materials found, which have been out of the country’s vocabulary for years.

Still, even if the House does craft a law reviving the anti-subversion law, this is hardly going to pass the Senate.

Aready, both Gloria and opposition senators vowed to block Malacañang’s move to revive the anti-subversion law.

Sen. Miriam Santiago called its revival unconstitutional, saying this goes against the 1987 Constitution’s provisions on the freedoms of speech and assembly, adding it would be illegal to arrest anyone based on affiliation with the communist movement.

Sen. Francis Escudero said reviving the anti-subversion law is a “step backward� and will surely earn more enemies for the state.

But if it does become law again, expect the movement to grow, and eventually kick Gloria out.

[budmendz]

The groups who denied they are leftists are very much vocal on this. They say NO not again.

[cebu-future]

This is about time

[cebu-future]

Let's revive it kay too much man sad ni nga mga leftist

[giddyboy]

Let's revive it kay too much man sad ni nga mga leftist

i dont like it revived...there's a lot more other ways in killing the cat.

im quite sure its not gonna be pushed thru anyway...dili bya ni stupid c pgma...i believe she is just bluffing. Psy-war (against commies) ra toh iyaha. Pakurat ba.
besides, its the senate's job man pud anang bahina w/c we see daghan senators ang against reviving it.

[giddyboy]

there are many ways to kill a cat...but not this.

[godsaint]

UNCONSTITUTIONAL

[baron]

I don't think it is unconstitutional because we have such law before. Actually, I was having a hard time comprehending why did our legislators repeal the anti- subversion law to the effect that there is no such law existing today.

The reason why these rebels keep on their acts of extortion and spreading threats and abuses to the countryside is because of the fact that they have to be caught committing an offense before they can be arrested. With the anti- subversion law, the mere fact that they are members of the rebels group will be enough so they can be lawfully arrested.

[giddyboy]

I don't think it is unconstitutional because we have such law before. Actually, I was having a hard time comprehending why did our legislators repeal the anti- subversion law to the effect that there is no such law existing today.

The reason why these rebels keep on their acts of extortion and spreading threats and abuses to the countryside is because of the fact that they have to be caught committing an offense before they can be arrested. With the anti- subversion law, the mere fact that they are members of the rebels group will be enough so they can be lawfully arrested.

It was constitutional. Its just that maybe because of heavy pressures from the church, politics, militant groups and other civil societies that this law was being put to rest. Reviving it will also be constitutionally bound if approved by the House. But as i've said before, I'm not in favor to this revival...

Anyways, NAG CGE GUBAT NA DID2 SA REMOTE PARTS OF LUZVIMIN between NPA's and THE military.

HERE'S the link: "Hundreds flee Army, NPA war in remote areas nationwide"

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquire...icle_id=107450

[gareb]

if the Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is labeled by the military as "communist infiltrated" (as it has been a few years ago), under an Anti-Subversion Law (or versions of it), bishops, priests, nuns, even cardinals can be accused of "rebellion" by being members of such groups even if they have not been caught doing any "acts of rebellion" itself.

if potentially violent groups such as gangs and fraternities are labeled as "disturbers of peace" or possibly even "terrorists" through the hopelessly vague definition and usage of the term, any suspected member of such groups can be jailed and charged with a rainbow of lawsuits ranging from "terrorism", "subversion", "rebellion" and a lot more, only because they are suspected to be affiliated with the group.

or when a mainstream political party, a multi-sectoral organization, or even such simple organizations as those that represent jeepney drivers, market vendors, are labeled as "disturbers of peace" or a jingoistic version of the phrase because they dared to voice out their opposition to a bill in the Congress, a oil price hike, or the demolition of their market stalls, each and every one of their members can be charged with the various offenses just because they are affiliated with the group labeled as such.

if indeed the Anti-Subversion Law is revived, where do we draw the line? what happens to the freedom of assembly guaranteed by the constitution? what happens to the freedom of speech that is a vital element of a democracy?

or perhaps we want to go back to the martial law era of forced disappearances and killings that have been shockingly replicated in the current Arroyo administration?

perhaps we want to somehow provide GMA with a loophole from which she can justify another wave of killings?


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on the issue of constitutionality:
Why the Anti-Subversion Law should NOT be revived

The Manila Times

The Manila Times[/url]]Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr., believes President Arroyo wants to bring back the Anti-Subversion Law in order to “consolidate more authoritarian powers in her hands.�

Like tens of thousands of Filipinos, Pimentel was imprisoned during martial law regime of Ferdinand Marcos, which accused him of violating R.A. 1700.

Pimentel said that the law was repealed “because, among other things, an oppressive government could get its critics convicted under it through the very undemocratic principle of guilt by association.�

Meanwhile, Sen. Loren Legarda said. “reducing if not eliminating grinding poverty is the ultimate solution to the country’s drawn-out insurgency problem, not the return of the Anti-Subversion Law.�

“The Anti-Subversion Law had been abused and had been rightfully repealed under the Aquino administration [sic]. Let us not resurrect this monstrous law since it will just worsen the insurgency problem,� she said.