MANILA (UCAN): Church officials in the Philippines joined rights groups in hailing the acquittal of 34 people who were accused of violating the country’s draconian anti-terrorism law.
The Malolos City Regional Trial Court said the terror charges slapped on the accused—rights activists, trade unionists, and social workers—would not stand “for lack of probable cause.”
Jing Rey Henderson, head of communications and partnership development at Caritas Philippines, said, “We are hoping that our judiciary will continue to be the voice of the voiceless.”
Henderson said those in power should prioritise justice over abuse of authority. “We have always believed that the anti-terror law is a shock and awe tactic to disenfranchise the already marginalised,” he said on September 6.
The court’s 11-page judgment dated September 3 was released to the media on September 5.
The case is based on the complaint of a Philippine Army battalion based in Caranglan, Nueva Ecija.
It alleged that the 34 individuals were part of the communist rebel group involved in a fire fight against the military on 8 October 2023, in a village in central Luzon. At least one soldier died during the alleged fighting.
Presiding judge, Julie Mercurio, said the accused acts of terrorism “must be clear and supported by competent evidence.”
Activism is not a crime. Despite the acquittal, the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administration continues to wage ‘lawfare’ against activists
Aaron Pedrosa
The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers [NUPL], who represented two of the accused as counsels in the case, welcomed the dismissal of “fabricated charges of terrorism.”
As we celebrate the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. The Chaplaincy to Filipino Migrants organises an on-line talk every Tuesday at 9.00pm. You can join us at:
https://www.Facebook.com/CFM-Gifted-to-give-101039001847033
Activist lawyer, Aaron Pedrosa, maintained that the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 “continues to be weaponised to silence critics who are slapped with trumped up charges to frame them as terrorists.”
Pedrosa said, “Activism is not a crime. Despite the acquittal, the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administration continues to wage ‘lawfare’ against activists.”
The NUPL, along with other progressive groups, also called for the repeal of the controversial anti-terror law, saying the state uses it as a weapon not just “to suppress but to sow terror.”
As of May this year, at least 98 activists, including Church workers, were facing charges under the anti-terror and the terror financing prevention and suppression laws, according to data gathered by the rights group Karapatan.
Previously on August 2, a Court of Appeals decision cleared Philippine security agencies of any involvement in the abduction of 21-year-old Jonila Castro and 22-year-old Jhed Tamano, vocal critics of environmental destruction wreaked by land reclamation projects in Manila Bay [Sunday Examiner, August 25].
“The decision of the Court of Appeals to deny Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano protection will affect other communities who are facing serious human rights issues,” Carlos Conde, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, said on August 15
