Newsgroups: bit.listserv.seasia-l
Date:         Thu, 30 Jul 1992 04:08:50 PDT
From:         "Indonesia Publications/Task Force" <apakabar@IGC.APC.ORG>
Subject:      PH: Legalization for CPP?
X-To:         seasia-l@msu.edu

/* Written 12:06 am  Jul 30, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "PHILIPPINES: RAMOS URGES REPEAL OF " ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: PHILIPPINES: RAMOS URGES REPEAL OF ANTI-COMMUNIST LAW


manila, jul 27 (ips/ramon isberto) -- philippine president fidel
ramos monday urged congress to repeal a cold war era law banning
membership in the communist party in what analysts call a low-risk
move to end south-east asia's last remaining communist insurgency.

speaking at the opening session of the newly elected congress,
ramos granted amnesty to 4,500 former communist and muslim rebels
and directed justice officials to facilitate the release of detained
rebels as part of efforts to create a ''favourable climate for
national unity''.

he also proposed the creation of an executive-legislative
'national unification commission' tasked with drafting a ''viable''
amnesty plan and peace process.

according to ramos, repealing republic act no. 1700, better known
as the anti-subversion law, would allow the communist party of the
philippines (cpp) to ''compete freely, openly and peacefully in the
political, economic and social arena instead of following the path
of the armed struggle''.

there has been no response from the communist underground which
has suffered political and military reverses in recent years.
military estimates say the number of new people's army (npa) rebels
has dropped from a high of 23,000 about five years ago to only
15,000 to 16,000.

the communist-led national democratic front (ndf) has said it was
willing, despite its grave doubts about the sincerity of the ramos
peace initiatives, to hold peace talks with the government, subject
only to the condition that the talks have a ''substantive agenda''.

some human rights lawyers defending detained communist leaders
say the repeal of the r.a. 1700 would have little practical effect.

most detained rebel leaders and followers are slapped with
charges of rebellion or sedition, or common crimes like murder,
kidnapping and armed robbery, said human rights lawyer arno sanidad.

the anti-subversion law provided for a maximum penalty of death,
but it was never implemented in the stern fashion that singapore or
malaysia have enforced their draconian national security acts.

though arrested rebel suspects were routinely charged with
subversion when the country was under martial law in the 1970s,
government lawyers have since been less and less eager to invoke the
anti-subversion law.

lawyers say subversion charges are harder to substantiate and
raise sensitive political issues since they require the government
to prove that an accused was acting in behalf of a foreign power.
(more/ips)



philippines: ramos (2)

in the cold war era, the government had no qualms about
identifying that foreign power as either china or the soviet union.
but since manila established diplomatic relations with the two
countries in the 1970s, such accusations have become problematic.

local peace groups like the coalition for peace (cope) have urged
government to legalise the communist party as part of efforts to
reform and open up the political system.

but they say this should be the outcome of a peace process
involving extensive face-to-face negotiations between the rebels and
the government.

apart from the proposed repeal of r.a. 1700, analysts said there
was little new in ramos' peace proposals. the granting of amnesty to
former rebels, for example, was based on an amnesty measure issued
in 1989 by his predecessor, corazon aquino.

aquino had gone further by quickly releasing top communist
leaders like cpp founder jose ma. sison and npa chief bernabe
buscayno, better known as commander dante.

but analysts said removing r.a. 1700 from the law books may still
have some positive symbolic effect and give ramos the high moral
ground in peace talks that may take place.

civil libertarians have long denounced the 1957 law as
unconstitutional. it is also widely viewed as a relic of the cold
war era, during which the philippines went through its own bout of
witch-hunting.

but civil libertarians are unlikely to welcome ramos' call to
reimpose the death penalty for ''heinous crimes''. the 1987
constitution abolished capital punishment but left open the option
of congress mandating the death penalty for heinous crimes.

a series of ghastly and sensational killings in metro manila in
recent years has sparked a clamour for the return of the death
penalty.

also likely to be well received is ramos' proposal to double
penalties for military and policemen found guilty of serious crimes.
(end/ips/ri/ln/92)
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