Grig C. Montegrande/Inquirer File Photo
MANILA, Philippines — Several progressive groups condemned the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) for designating several activists based in the Cordillera Administrative Region as terrorists, saying this is why they opposed the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) of 2020.
In a statement Tuesday, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) said that Windel Bolinget, Jen Awingan, Sarah Abellon-Alikes, and Steve Tauli of the Cordillera People’s Alliance (CPA) have been long-time activists, not armed fighters or terrorists, contrary to the ATC’s claims.
Teddy Casiño, Bayan’s chairperson and former lawmaker, said the ATC’s labeling of the four CPA members and two others as terrorists, based on allegations, confirms their fears that the ATA will be used against activists.
Casiño stated that the recent move by the ATC proves Bayan’s initial warning that the law has the potential to be misused. This could target activists, government dissenters, and members of progressive groups, along with virtually anyone the national security cluster perceives as a threat, he said.
“Activists Windel Bolinget, Jen Awingan, Sarah Abellon-Alikes, and Steve Tauli are all long-time leaders of the Cordillera People’s Alliance. Early this year, the trumped-up rebellion case against them and three others were dismissed,” Casiño said.
According to Casiño, the ATC’s move is an attempt to intimidate critics of the government and suppress their complaints.
“Their designation as terrorists by the ATC is the latest effort to intimidate, harass and threaten them into silence and inactivity. It allows the government to freeze their accounts and properties, including personal funds and those for their families. It sets them up for public humiliation, discrimination, and physical attack. All without the benefit of a public hearing or any due process,” Casiño said.
“This latest act of the ATC is tantamount to trial by publicity using guilt by association. We call on our people to oppose this blatant violation of the right to due process and freedom of association enshrined in the Bill of Rights,” he added.
According to ATC’s Resolution No. 41, the four CPA members are part of the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) in the Ilocos-Cordillera area. ATC claimed their move was based on verified information and intelligence reports gathered by local law enforcement agencies.
“ATC Resolution No. 41 cites that based on verified and validated information, sworn statements, and other pieces of evidence gathered by Philippine law enforcement agencies, the ATC found probable cause, warranting the designation of the following persons for violations of the ATA,” the council said in the resolution.
ATC claimed that the six individuals, including the four CPA members, violated the following sections of the ATA:
- Section 4 (committing terrorism)
- Section 6 (planning, training, preparing, and facilitating the commission of terrorism)
- Section 10 (recruitment to and membership in a terrorist organization)
- Section 12 (providing material support to terrorist organizations or groups organized for the purpose of engaging in terrorism)
However, both the Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment (KPNE) and the Environmental Defenders Congress (ENVIDEFCON) asserted that the CPA has been defending communities in the Cordillera Administrative Region from anti-environment efforts by simply engaging in community mobilization and awareness campaigns.
“For nearly four decades, the CPA has defended the communities and environment of the Cordillera region, fighting against destructive mining and logging, and advocating for ancestral land rights. Through community mobilization, awareness campaigns and legal action, the CPA continues to challenge harmful projects and promote sustainable practices like organic farming,” the two groups said in a separate statement.
“The resources of the Cordilleras, renowned for forests, hydropower resources and vast reserves of gold and copper, have long been coveted by exploiters and profiteers. To date, there are hundreds of big mining applications over its ancestral lands, but none have been approved. This is a testament to the fierce resistance of the Igorot people, facilitated by the CPA, over the past decades,” they added.