A PARTY-list lawmaker welcomed the dismissal of a terrorism financing complaint filed by the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group against a non-government organization helping thousands of victims of the 2013 super typhoon Yolanda that hit Leyte island.
Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Arlene Brosas hailed the decision absolving the Leyte Center for Development Inc. (LCDE) as a “victory against malicious red-tagging of humanitarian organizations,”
“The dismissal of this baseless case proves what we have been saying all along – that these terrorism financing charges are nothing but desperate attempts to harass and intimidate humanitarian organizations and development workers who serve our most vulnerable communities,” Brosas stressed.
“The dismissal of the case only shows how the anti-terror law is being weaponized against legitimate organizations,” she added.
The Makabayan bloc of which Brosas is a member filed last year House Resolution 1985 seeking a probe on the alleged systematic judicial harassment against NGOs and human rights defenders, as well as other development organizations.
“These baseless charges and judicial harassment must stop. We have documented through HR (House Resolution) 1985 how these attacks are systematically being used to silence NGOs and development workers who are merely doing humanitarian work in underserved communities,” Brosas emphasized.
“We call on the government to stop these baseless accusations and persecution of development workers and humanitarian organizations. Their work is crucial in providing much-needed assistance to communities neglected by government services,” Brosas said.
