MANILA (UPDATED) — The Duterte Youth Partylist has filed a bill seeking to again outlaw the Communist Party (CPP) of the Philippines and its armed and political wings.

The party's representative Ducielle Cardema, wife of former National Youth Commission chair Ronald Cardema, filed the measure Monday.

"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," the partylist said in a statement.

It added that the measure will not only destroy the CPP's ability to wage war but will also give them a "second chance to rejoin society."

Assistant Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro hit the proposal, saying it has yet to raise concerns on issues that the youth face.

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”So far, we've heard nothing at all from Duterte Youth on the pressing concerns of children and the youth under blended learning and education in the so-called 'new normal,' like the millions of children who have not enrolled and may have totally dropped out from school. This group's score so far in terms of forwarding the issues of the youth in Congress is zero," she said.

“Ngayon, pilit na binabangon mula sa hukay ang batas na ito, na ginamit ng diktador na si (Ferdinand) Marcos upang ikulong hindi lang ang mga kritiko niya at mga taong pilit na inugnay niya sa armadong pagkilos."

(Now they keep on reviving this law from the grave that dictator Marcos used to imprison his critics and those he linked to the armed struggle.)

Gabriela Partylist also slammed Duterte Youth’s move, saying it would push back “gains made by the peoples’ movement."

In a statement, Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas likened the circumstance to that of the Cold War when the country’s leaders used it to attack revolutionary forces.

“The Anti-Subversion Law was repealed for a good reason, and that is because it was weaponized to counter the revolutionary forces of the Hukbalahap. It was also the dictator Ferdinand Marcos' tool of choice in harassing the opposition legitimate dissenters,” Brosas said.

She added that the proposed measure would not address the root cause of armed conflict “and will only intensify the state-funded red-tagging campaign."

Duterte Youth urged: study history

Castro, on the other hand, urged the group to study history as she said the law was repealed in 1992 because it "violates the constitutional rights to freedom of speech, assembly, and association as well as the equal-protection clause."

"It was also repealed as recognition that peace talks and socio-economic and political reforms will end the armed conflict, and not militarist solutions. Sa kasamaang palad, baligtad na ang pananaw ngayon ng pamahalaan," she said.

(Unfortunately, the administration's position is the opposite.)

“Dapat pag-aralan muli ng Duterte Youth ang kasaysayan para malaman nila kung ano ang sinasapit ng mga diktador na gumagamit sa draconian na batas, gaya ng Anti-Subversion Law.”

(The Duterte Youth should study history to know what becomes of dictators who use draconian laws such as the Anti-Subversion Law.)

Attempts to broker peace with the communist movement early in the Duterte administration had collapsed after alleged rebel attacks on state forces as negotiations were ongoing. Offensives against communists have since resumed.

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