“The terrorism laws in the Philippines are targeting the wrong people. Most of them are working in environmental defense like the 11 activists of Cagayan Valley.”

MANILA – “Poor farmers do not have the capacity to fund terrorism. We are already poor. Where are we going to find the money?”

This is the lament of Renato Gameng, a farmer for 40 years and a leader of Danggayan Dagiti Mannalon iti Isabela (Dagami) for the past 15 years. For him, it is puzzling that he is being accused of violating the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act (TFPSA). Ten more activists were also charged with the same case before the Department of Justice’s National Prosecution Service.

Under the banner of human rights group Karapatan, the Cagayan Valley activists, including Gameng, and other human rights defenders held a protest in front of the Supreme Court (SC) and DOJ to denounce the use of twin terror laws– Anti-Terrorism Act and TFPSA– against activists. They submitted a letter to Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, calling for the review and repeal of the twin terror laws.

Farmer leader Renato Gameng in front of Department of Justice

“The Supreme Court, as the guardian of the Constitution and the final arbiter of constitutional rights, has the solemn duty to ensure that laws enacted in the name of national security do not become instruments for suppressing constitutionally protected dissent,” the letter stated, signed by victims of the twin terror laws.

Just last month, six activists in Cagayan Valley received subpoenas including Gameng. They are former Kabataan Party-list Cagayan Valley regional coordinator Jhames Paredes; National Council of Churches in the Philippines program assistant and Taripnong Cagayan Valley secretariat member Anne Pascual; Bayan Muna Cagayan Valley coordinator Nelson Escalante; Punganay Cagayan Valley coordinator Marifel Macalanda; and Kabataan Party-list regional coordinator Walter Villegas.

Meanwhile, five others have been previously slapped with similar complaints in January 2025. They are Isabelo Adviento, a former fourth nominee of Anakpawis Party-list; Makabayan Cagayan Valley regional coordinator Agnes Mesina; Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas National Council member Cita Managuelod; Karapatan National Council member Jackie Valencia; and Pinoy Weekly journalist Deo Montesclaros.

“This new wave of attacks against us is alarming because for them, our advocacy of providing services for the farmers, campaign for more budget in education and classrooms, and proper disaster response are terrorism,” said Paredes during the protest.

Paredes is a student at University of the Philippines (UP) and a former contributor of Northern Dispatch, an alternative media outfit reporting people’s issues in Northern Luzon.

“Of course, the initial reaction was fear when we first heard it. Because the main objective of filing these cases is to sow fear, silence us, and stop us from joining organizations that defend our rights,” Paredes told Bulatlat in Filipino. “However, this fear does not last long. There are many people who were also charged with these cases which were later dismissed. This is a form of judicial harassment.”

Three activists of Cagayan Valley filed their counter-affidavits before the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, before they went to the DOJ and SC in Manila.

The case stemmed from statements made by alleged military assets Elnan Tul-ag and Rex Pagbilao, who claimed they had received supplies from the activists inside an alleged New People’s Army encampment in 2019.

Local human rights organization Umaddang Cagayan Valley Para ti Karbengan said that the only evidence against the 11 Cagayan Valley activists was an uncooked rice, allegedly found decaying inside plastic containers buried underground for seven full years.

“Our protest is not only for Cagayan Valley 11 (activists), but to all victims of political persecution and judicial harassment such as the recent attacks against the Kasibu and Dupax del Norte. This is also for all our political prisoners in the region,” Paredes said.

The activists of Cagayan Valley are targeted because of their continuous defense of the natural resources, Enjo Sarmiento of the Center for Environmental Concerns said.

“Cagayan Valley is rich in natural resources. But it also remains vulnerable in times of disaster, worsened by the government’s inadequate response,” Sarmiento said in Filipino. “The terrorism laws in the Philippines are targeting the wrong people. Most of them are working in environmental defense like the 11 activists of Cagayan Valley.”

In 2025, the Philippines was identified as the most disaster-prone country based on the World Risk Report. In its local analysis, Cagayan Valley was also identified as the top ranking province with high exposure to floods.

“This is the reason why the Philippines remain a dangerous country in Asia for environmental defenders. This is also the reason why we will not be able to achieve our climate targets because they keep on paralyzing the primary environmental defenders in the communities: the farmers and indigenous peoples,” Sarmiento added.

Since the administration of Rodrigo Duterte until the current administration, the Philippines has been dubbed as the most dangerous country in Asia for land and environmental defenders based on the report of international watchdog Global Witness.

Activists protest in front of Department of Justice to condemn the filing of twin terror laws against activists. Photo by Dominic Gutoman/Bulatlat.

An alarming pattern

Karapatan once again raised “serious concerns” over the twin terror laws’ impact on fundamental rights and freedoms of the people, from speech, expression, peaceful assembly, association, and the right to due process. The group urged the high court to examine case patterns, strengthen constitutional safeguards, and to hold state forces accountable for using the law to stifle dissent.

The group has documented a total of 259 individuals charged with the said twin terror laws. They cited a recurring pattern in cases under the twin terror laws, with many dismissed due to insufficient evidence, questionable witnesses, lack of probable cause, failure to establish offenses, or due process violations.

Read: Rights groups data show terror laws used for state repression

“While the dismissal of these cases ultimately vindicated the respondents, the damage caused by the prosecution does not disappear with dismissal,” the letter read, emphasizing adverse impacts that the individuals and organizations are subjected to such as arrest, detention, surveillance, red-tagging, public vilification, financial restrictions, reputational harm, and continuing threats to personal safety.

Among the dismissed cases cited in the letter were Southern Tagalog activists church pastor Glofie Baluntong, human rights workers Hailey Jade Pecayo, Adrian Paul Tagle, Fritz Jay Labiano, Alaiza Marie Lemita among others.

Of the 25 individuals currently imprisoned under twin terror laws, Karapatan reported that there are 20 who were charged during the administration of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. At least 48 individuals who are not currently detained have faced or are facing court cases under the two laws, with 10 having posted bail.

In addition, of the 139 individuals whose cases were dismissed by courts or prosecutors’ offices, 130 were charged during the Marcos Jr. administration.

“Taken together, these figures show the extensive use of the twin terror laws under the Marcos Jr. administration. Even if many of the cases were dismissed, a person may have already been arrested or detained, subjected to surveillance and harassment, red-tagged, threatened, publicly vilified, or made to suffer damage to their livelihood and reputation,” Karapatan Deputy Secretary General Sol Taule said in a statement.

She also emphasized that this pattern creates a chilling effect that discourages legitimate advocacy, community service, and the exercise of people’s democratic rights.

In 2024, German human rights alliance Aktionsbündnis Menschenrechte – Philippinen (AMP) observed a substantial number of TFPSA charges filed against NGOs and their members. Among those targeted with arbitrary accusations were the Community Empowerment Resource Network (CERNET), Katinnulong Daguiti Umili iti Amianan-Peoples Partner in Northern Luzon (KADUAMI), Paghidaet sa Kauswagan Development (PDG), and the Leyte Center for Development (LCDE).

This is after the global Financial Action Task Force (FATF) placed the Philippines on its “grey list” of countries under increased monitoring. A year after, FATF representatives visited the Philippines and removed the country from the grey list amid the spate of TFPSA charges against development workers and NGOs.

But even after the removal in the FATF’s “grey list” in February 2025, Philippine state forces continue to use the terrorism financing law against activists. (RTS, AMU, RVO)

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