Even before the Supreme Court ruled that red-tagging threatens one’s life, liberty and security, the state security forces have been utilizing two existing laws – the Anti-Terrorism Act and the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act – to suppress or harass human rights defenders and political activists/dissenters.
There has been a noticeable increase in the Marcos Jr. administration’s “weaponization” of the two related laws, according to Karapatan last week. It results in a “rapidly shrinking civic space and grave deterioration” of the human rights situation in the country, it said, and called for urgent action.
Instead, criminal cases related to terrorism, overseen by the Department of Justice, continue to be filed against activists and organizations. Nongovernmental organizations , as well as individuals that have been helping the poor and marginalized communities for decades, have been slapped with charges of “terrorism financing.” Their assets and bank accounts are frozen by the Anti-Money Laundering Council.
• Jan. 9, 2024 – The Cabanatuan City prosecutor filed charges of ATA violations against Nathanael Santiago, secretary-general of both Makabayan Coalition and Bayan Muna; Anakpawis party campaign director Servillano Luna Jr.; ASCENT convenor and coordinator Rosario Brenda Gonzales and Bulacan Ecumenical Forum volunteer lay worker Anasana San Gabriel.
The Labiano-Tagle case, Karapatan avers, “sets a very dangerous precedent as it penalizes human rights defenders and humanitarian aid workers who provide material assistance to activists in police or military custody, who may have either been designated as ‘terrorists’ or accused of violations under the ATA or RA 10168.”
But like the scattered rainshowers that relieve the oppressive heat, there’s also good news. Criminal complaints for alleged violations of the ATA filed against five human rights advocates in Southern Tagalog have all been dismissed. I came across a very interesting interview by Karen Davila whose special guest was former Senate president Franklin Drilon and, amidst all of the controversy surrounding the issue at the Senate, it was both interesting...
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