Newly-installed Rep. Ducielle Cardema of the Duterte Youth Partylist has sought the revival of the anti-subversion law, the potent martial law legal weapon that then President Ferdinand Marcos against critics and political foes.

In filing House Bill 8231or the Anti-CPP-NPA-NDF Act of 2021, Cardema cited the support of defense and military officials in seeking to outlaw again the Communist Party of the Philippines, New People’s Army and the National Democratic Front.

Ironically, it was former President Fidel V. Ramos, the highest military official to become president of the country, who signed the law that repealed the anti-subversion law and gave the CPP its legal existence.

Members of the red-tagged Makabayan bloc were quick to assail Cardema’s most recent legislative proposal aimed at supporting government’s renewed bid to end the armed communist struggle in the country.

“(This is) another lame and desperate effort to legitimize and institutionalize the Duterte administration's practice of red-tagging the opposition – filing a bill on Congress reminiscent of the now defunct Anti-Subversion Law in the 1950s,” said Bayan Muna Partylist Representative Ferdinand Gaite.

Gaite added: "Duterte-Youth's bill seems like a petty attempt to echo the Anti-Terrorism Law as it wants to cast a wide net on who should be made criminally liable. Section 4.1 displays the obvious intention to use this bill to further criminalize dissent and activism through red-tagging.”

Asst. Minority Leader and ACT-Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro noted that despite its claim that it represents the youth sector, the Duterte Youth has done nothing to address or defend the concerns of children and the youth “under the blended learning and education” amid the pandemic.

“This group's score so far in terms of forwarding the issues of the youth in Congress is zero,” said Castro.

She said the anti-subversion law was repealed in 1992 precisely because it “violates the constitutional rights to freedom of speech, assembly and association as well as the equal protection clause.”

“No, the dictator Marcos also used the Anti-Subversion Law to imprison ideas and kill speech, Castro stressed.

Cardema said her version of the anti-subversion law seeks to destroy not only the ability of the Leftist organizations to “wage war but also give them a second chance to join our peace-loving society in this modern era.”

“If we want peace in this country, we must finally destroy the entire capability of the CPP-NPA-NDF to wage war in all their fronts, against our government and our people,” she said.

The lady lawmaker stressed that the bill contains a Balik Loob provision that grants communist rebels who surrender within a prescribe period the chance to access livelihood assistance and "many benefits” offered by government.