The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) welcomes the junking of terrorism financing charges that were filed against three development workers based in Negros Occidental. Similar charges against development workers, labor activists and social movement activists should be junked immediately.

The Iloilo Regional Trial Court Branch 31 dismissed the charges based on the Financing Terrorism Prevention and Suppression Act against Federico Salvilla, Perla Jaleco-Pavillar, both working for the Paghidaet sa Kauswagan Development Group Inc (PDG) and Dharyll Albanez of the Kristyanong Mangunguma Lubos nga Itib-ong sang Grupo Inc (KMALIG).

The case was filed by the Philippine National Police (PNP) Regional Office 6 using a spurious affidavit submitted by supposed “rebel returnees,” or former members of armed rebel group New People’s Army (NPA) who surrendered to the government. Also responsible for the charges are the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), the Anti-Terror Council (ATC) and the Department of Justice.

The Iloilo court’s junking of the charges highlights the illegality of the retroactive application of the Anti-Terror Law of 2020 and of the ATC’s designation of the NPA and the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) as terrorists in 2023. The incidents on which the charges against Salvilla, Pavillar and Albanez were based occurred before the effectivity of these government actions.

At present, more than 100 development workers, labor activists and social movement activists across the country have been charged with financing terrorism because of spurious accusations made by supposed rebel returnees. The filing of these charges is meant to stifle dissent and independent development work. It violates the human rights of those charged and the communities that they serve.

Now that President Rodrigo Duterte is in the custody of the International Criminal Court, his legacy of labor and human rights violations should also be rolled back. The ATA, the Financing Terrorism Prevention and Suppression Act, the NTF-ELCAC and the ATC – as well as red-tagging, filing of trumped-up charges against activists, and other trademark moves – must be junked and rejected by the courts, if not by the entire government.