THERE is an urgent call for the re-imposition of the Anti-Subversion Law. This call came after four individuals claiming to be former members of the NPA (New Peoples’ Army) issued statements on how they became members of leftist organizations and their recruitment into the armed group.
Webster’s dictionary defines subversion as a systematic attempt to overthrow a government by persons working secretly from within.
Sen. Bato de la Rosa in a Senate hearing voiced his concern over reports of missing children believed to have been lured into joining the NPA. Some parents of these missing children were initially concerned over their children’s choice of organizations.
Linking some members of leftist organizations to the subversive armed group should be validated and documented properly since this is a serious charge and may affect the future of some students.
Leftist groups have so far been active in rallies and marches where they voice their opinion on certain socio-economic issues and openly criticize the Duterte administration. Student activism rooted on nationalism and idealism could easily be construed as an aggressive stance. In my opinion, as long as they are not armed, they are merely making a statement.
We are still under a democratic form of government wherein freedom of expression is very much guaranteed in our constitution. I hope it is not the intention of this administration to curtail the right to free speech. I earnestly hope this call for the revival of the Anti-Subversion Law is not a desperate move to legally arm itself against critics of the Duterte administration. A paranoid political climate will not help a troubled country that is already very much polarized in so many issues.
In the free market of information in websites, there is a real danger of information getting manipulated either by the radicalized left or radicalized right. It is therefore imperative for parents to open the lines of communication and find out how their children are appreciating current events in our country. At a young age, the Kennedys of America were encouraged by their patriarch to discuss state of the nation at dinner time.
I would like to believe that our government, particularly the military and some politicians, are merely expressing a genuine concern about the young who are very vocal about their perception of the state’s affairs and not out to pin down certain personalities should the Anti-Subversion Law be re-imposed.