Human rights alliance KARAPATAN deplored the Marcos Jr. administration’s increased political persecution of activists, dissenters and development workers through policies reportedly required by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global body that purportedly sets international standards to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing. The FATF is slated to have a meeting with Philippine government officials on January 20 to 21, 2025 in Manila.
“Marcos Jr. uses the FATF’s prescriptions to justify the crackdown on political dissent as well as development and humanitarian work through the domestic terrorist financing and anti-terrorism laws. His administration’s wanton and arbitrary freezing of bank accounts of non-governmental and faith-based organizations, as well as filing of criminal charges against development and church workers, are among the factors that belie his claims of a better human rights situation under his watch,” said KARAPATAN secretary general Cristina Palabay.
Marcos’ Project Exit Grey List sets quotas for cases filed using Republic Act No. 10168 or the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression law as proof of its commitment to the FATF standards, in its bid to be removed from the task force’s grey list. Since the enactment of Republic Act No. 11479 or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, there has been an uptick in the number of victims of the two terror laws, especially among church institutions and development NGOs. KARAPATAN documented at least 112 victims of the terror laws.
The warrants of arrests issued against development workers of the Paghida-et sa Kauswagan Development Group (PDG) in Negros and the trumped-up cases filed against United Methodist Church pastors in Zamboanga Sibugay are the most recent incidents that KARAPATAN has monitored and documented.
Meanwhile, NGOs such as the Leyte Center for Development (LCDe), Community Empowerment Resource Network (CERNET), and the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines, along with people’s organizations Cordillera People’s Alliance and Amihan National Federation of Peasant Women, continue to challenge the freezing of their bank accounts and the criminal cases filed against their members and leaders.
“The FATF’s role in determining such standards and recommendations should likewise be questioned, especially since the said body is a creation of the G7, a bloc of imperialists led by the United States, that weaponizes political and economic policies in their wars of aggression against independent states and national liberation movements,” Palabay said.
KARAPATAN reiterated its call for the repeal of the terror laws and the dismissal of the trumped-up charges using the said laws against dissenters and development workers.###