Solons: Año’s proposal to revive Anti-Subversion Law ‘a throwback to Marcosian dictatorship’

Bayan Muna party-list Representatives Carlos Zarate and Eufemia Cullamat on Tuesday slammed the proposal of Interior Secretary Eduardo Año to revive a law that made subversion a criminal offense.

In a statement, the House members called Ano's move "a throwback to Marcosian dictatorship."

"This militarist proposal to resurrect from its burial ground this dreaded law will only mean more violations of human rights as this will definitely curtail our freedom of association, our freedom of expression and our freedom of assembly," Zarate said.

"This is a patently draconian proposal and is a throwback to the martial law years," he added.

Enacted in June 1957 during the presidency of Carlos P. Garcia, the Anti-Subversion Act was repealed through RA 7636 in 1992.

Zarate fears that with the revival of the law, innocent individuals will once again be arrested and face trumped-up charges.

"The anti-subversion law was patently and gravely anti-democratic. In fact, its anti-people ghost is still haunting us now more than two decades after it was buried," he said.

"We should not allow that it will be resurrected by the same mold of anti-democratic forces who used it to oppress our people," he added.

Cullamat, meanwhile, pointed out that the government is apparently still discontented with the declaration of martial law in Mindanao.

"Nasa martial law pa nga ang Mindanao at ngayon ay gusto pa nilang palawakin ang saklaw nito sa pamamagitan ng 'Anti-Subversion' law," she said.

"Dapat ay kagyat at mariing tutulan ito ng mamamayan kundi ay mahihirapan na tayong maibalik muli ang mga naipanalo nating mga demokratikong karapatan," she added.

Philippine National Police chief Police General Oscar Albayalde backed Año's proposal, though he said this should be studied first.

Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said amending the Human Security Act is enough in curbing subversion. — BM, GMA News