By DAVE IVERSON CUESTA
www.nordis.net

BAGUIO CITY — Family and colleagues condemned the designation of four Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) leaders as terrorists by the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) and the subsequent freezing of their bank accounts.

In a July 20 press conference, CPA Secretary-General Sarah Dekdeken said the terrorist designation is baseless and violates civil and political rights enshrined in the Constitution. 

In a June 7 resolution, the ATC designated CPA chairperson Windel Bolinget, regional council member Stephen Tauli, pioneer member Sarah Alike and research staff Jennifer Awingan as terrorists. The ATC accused them of being leaders of the Communist Party of the Philippines in the Ilocos and Cordillera.

On June 30, the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) passed a resolution to freeze their assets and properties. Aside from their accounts, the banks have put CPA funds and those owned by several members of the Taggaoa and Tauli families on hold as of July 20. 

Section 25 of the Anti-Terrorism Law allows the AMLC to freeze and investigate the accounts of the designated persons, their immediate family, their organizations, and even funds they deem directly or indirectly managed by the designated persons.

Dekdeken said ATC’s action was arbitrary, underscoring that the government did not provide a venue for her colleagues to defend themselves. She said they only learned of the designation when the ATC published the resolution in a national newspaper on July 10 and the freeze order on July 12 when they checked with their bank.

She pointed out that separate courts dismissed all the charges against them by the government. The latest was the rebellion case filed by the PNP after the 24th Infantry Battalion implicated them and three other activists in an NPA ambush in Malibcong, Abra, in October 2022.

“A good husband and father”

Bolinget’s wife, Elvie, said there was no truth to the allegations against her husband, far from what the government wanted people to think. As far as she remembers, she told the media that Bolinget had been an activist. 

As an activist, her husband has tirelessly advocated for human rights and the people’s socio-economic benefits. And despite all his responsibilities, Elvie said Bolinget always found time for them.

“For us, he is a good and responsible father. He always finds time for us, especially when I and our children need him. He always has a smile for his grandchildren,” she said in Tagalog.

Despite the relentless attacks against him, Elvie revealed that Bolinget remains the “source of strength” for the family. She added that she finds no other reason for the designation but her husband’s resolve to advocate for indigenous peoples’ rights and criticize government policies.

Citing her experience as a teacher in a state university, she said that branding someone as a terrorist due to opposing beliefs is unprofessional.

“If my students become critics, should I brand them as terrorists? If an individual airs criticism, they (the government) should take it positively, that it is meant for the good of the nation and not to make it bad,” she said.

Elvie also expressed concern about the possible freezing of their bank accounts and properties, citing what happened to the family members of the other designated individuals.

Desperate measure

Casselle Ton, spokesperson of the Cordillera Human Rights Alliance, said the terrorist designation is the government’s last resort after the “trumped-up cases” filed against activists in the region failed to dampen their resolve. She reiterated that the dismissal of the charges proves that the accusations against them are baseless. 

Ton added that the ATC action against CPA leaders and other activists concretizes the concerns raised against the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). 

“At the height of the debates whether to pass the law or not, the proponents’ favorite rebuttal to the concerns we raised was that we have nothing to fear if we are not terrorists, and now four Cordillera activists are designated as terrorists without basis,” she said. 

Bolinget, and CPA founding member Joanna Cariño, are among the signatories in one of the petitions against ATA. There were 37 petitions filed before the Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of the legislation. The High Court struck down portions of Section 4 and Section 25 but upheld the validity of the law in December 2021.

According to Ton, the terrorist designation endangers the activists, their families, and their colleagues. 

“It is high time we again challenge the ATL as we now witness its concrete effects not only to the people [designated as terrorists] but also to the people around them,” she said.

Not funding terrorists 

Dekdeken called for the unfreezing of CPA accounts, saying these are for services that include relief operations for Cordillera communities. 

“We are not funding terrorists. We have been providing services, assistance, and relief to indigenous communities,” she said. 

Dekdeken said the CPA and the families of the designated activists will petition the ATC to remove them from the terrorist list. She said they have until July 25 to do so. 

“We are not really expecting the ATC to heed our petition to delist our members and leaders, so we are preparing for a long legal battle,” she said. 
Dekdeken added they are also exploring possible legal remedies for unfreezing their accounts, apart from challenging the law’s constitutionality. # nordis.net