Philperiodicals

A Hard Look at the Anti-red law

In A Hard Look at the Anti-red law, published by Panorama, Perfecto V. Fernandez, professor of law at UPHI and constitutional lawyer, argued that the Anti-Subversion Act of 1957 (Republic Act No. 1700), was “politically” fair (as it protected the Republic from totalitarianism, and the enslavement of its citizens), but problematic from the perspective of the individual, as it sacrificed political and opinion freedom for the security of the state. The law illegalized the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas-1930 and the Hukbalahap, without, as Fernández noted, giving any mention to the means of the party, identifying communism with violence and preventing it from legitimately aspiring for political power. Fernández's opinion that if given the chance communism should be allowed as long as it accepted the peaceful rules of the democratic game, gave voice to a minority that saw with concern the political developments caused by the Cold War in the archipelago, as the law negated political liberty and was contrary to democracy. Fernández suspected that the law had different ideological reasons than the protection of democracy, as “Surprisingly, some of those who say this profess an admiration for Franco but this can be excused because Franco was the appropriate religious views”.

Fecha

1960

Fuente

A hard look at the anti-red law”, Panorama, October 1960, pp. 40-49

Materia

Anti-Subversion Act of 1957
Perfecto V. Fernandez
Panorama.