MARCOS SAYS "NO" TO ANTI-SUBVERSION ACT'S REVIVAL

(20 AUGUST 2019) - "The Anti-Subversion Act is a relic of the Cold War era," Senator Imee R. Marcos said Tuesday, reacting to a call among military and police supporters to fight insurgency by reviving the law that makes it a crime to be a communist.

"It is not ideology but criminal acts that should be punished," Marcos added.

The senator explained that "updating and upgrading the country's anti-terrorism law" - the Human Security Act of 2007 - would provide a "stronger legal instrument than the Anti-Subversion Act of 1957 to punish crimes committed in the name of ideology, religion, politics, or economic gains."

Marcos earlier filed Senate Bill 630, known as the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2019, to increase the liability of crimes listed in the Human Security Act, providing for a possible death penalty for rebellion, insurrection, coup d'etat, arson, kidnapping, and hijacking, among others.

Other violent or premeditated acts that intend to sow fear and panic among the public, threaten the government, or disrupt public services are also considered forms of terrorism in Marcos's bill, as are new modes of promoting and committing violence using computer technology, educational institutions, and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear material.

Senator Marcos's stand against reviving the Anti-Subversion Act is not the first time she has gone against a position taken by her father, the late former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, who expanded the coverage of the said law during his term.

The creation of the Youth Civic Action Program (YCAP) and Youth Development Training (YDT) in the 70's was borne out of her opposition to the mandatory Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program first instituted by her father, Senator Marcos revealed.

She has proposed to make ROTC an option rather than a requirement for college students in Senate Bill 413, which prescribes a Civil Service Program to instill patriotism among students in grade school to college.