Bayan denounces filing of terror financing charges against activists, labor organizers, and development workers
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan condemns the filing of terror financing charges against activists and NGO workers as the state of human rights continues to deteriorate under the presidency of Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr.
At least a hundred rights advocates have been slapped with terror-related charges based on fabricated evidence and hearsay testimonies from so-called former rebels. The persecution targeting state critics is intended to suppress dissent by criminalizing the work of activists and development workers. The repressive laws enacted during the Duterte administration are further being weaponized to derail and delegitimize the advocacies of people’s organizations.
BAYAN Central Visayas chairperson Jaime Paglinawan is among those facing unjust prosecution after a warrant of arrest was issued against him and 27 individuals belonging to the Cebu-based Community Empowerment and Resource Network (CERNET). Paglinawan has been a labor leader for four decades and was among those who attended the founding congress of Bayan. Paglinawan is being persecuted by state forces because of his role in the people’s resistance against corruption, foreign subservience, and abuses committed by the Marcos Jr government.
The charges against CERNET are similar to the trumped-up cases against NGOs which have been providing lifeline services in the grassroots. We condemn the harassment and the abuse of judicial processes to demonize and disrupt the work of development groups. Authorities have criminalized and terror-tagged the work of NGOs and those extending solidarity instead of rewarding groups providing basic services in remote communities. The brutal policies of the Marcos Jr government will exacerbate the hardships of our people by making it more difficult for NGOs to fulfill their mission as they continue to face intensified state-backed attacks.
Bayan stands with Paglinawan, CERNET, and all groups and individuals who are pushing back against the tyranny of the Marcos Jr government. We enjoin fellow rights advocates to support activists and development workers who committed no crime except to dedicate their lives in empowering our people in marginalized communities.
We call for the dropping of terror charges against activists and state critics. The arbitrary filing of these charges affirms our earlier demand for the immediate junking of laws and policies that are being used to restrict and violate the people’s civil liberties. We call on all Bayan chapters and allied groups to fight back against the terror regime of the US-backed Marcos Jr presidency.
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