The women and men of CDPC strongly rebuke the apparent pattern of clamping NGOs advocating for human rights-based approach to development. Our sister-NGO, the KATINNULONG DAGITI UMILI TI AMIANAN (KADUAMI-NL) is the latest subject of NGOs being framed to be financing terrorism, similar to what CERNET and LCDe are presently undergoing. KADUAMI, Community Empowerment Resource Network ( CERNET )and Leyte Center for Development ,inc (LCDe ) are NGOs supporting social and development services in rural and far-flung communities.
To frame cases of financing terrorism against these NGOs and eventually stop their operation through freezing of their bank accounts, complaints and cases of financing terrorism are being lodged against staff and members of the Board of Trustees.
For our sister-NGO, KADUAMI, complaints of financing terrorism were filed against a retired staff, Petronila Guzman and the vice-chairperson of the Board of Trustees, Lenville Salvador. The complaint was based on the affidavit of a former chair of the peasant alliance in the Ilocos Region, Solidarity of Peasants against Exploitation (STOP-Exploitation) who claim to be a former rebel and made numerous narrations on KADUAMI’s support to organizational capacity building activities, protest rallies, conferences, relief services, socio-economic projects all in line with the social and development programs of KADUAMI. Of all silliness, the witness narrated that Ms. Guzman gave him P35,000 which he accounted to have been used in relief services. Additionally, the witness narrated that Mr. Salvador gave him $200 for his allowance in attending a conference in Thailand on the campaign related to the plight of tobacco farmers.
Any meaningful appraisal of the narration of the witness will construe a well-meaning human rights-based approach to development being advocated by KADUAMI, and certainly not terrorism activities.
We call on the Department of Justice to employ due diligence measures in addressing anti-terrorism financing, instead of closing down NGOs by putting staff and Board members under prosecution and possible incarceration.
Reference:
Bp Joseph Agpaoa
Dr. Remedios Taguba