BAGUIO, Philippines – A labor leader and cultural worker in the Cordillera has become the latest individual to face a terrorism financing complaint amid the government’s bid to exit the gray list of the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
Labor leader Michael Cabangon is the 12th person in Northern Luzon to be formally accused under the anti-terrorism law since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office.
The FATF, a Paris-based intergovernmental body, sets global anti-money laundering and counterterrorism financing standards. It places countries with weak controls on either a blacklist (high risk) or a grey list (under monitoring). The Philippines has been on the gray list since 2021 due to deficiencies.
Cabangon, the spokesperson for Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) in the Cordillera and a national council member of the labor center, is now facing the complaint for his alleged violation of the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012.
Aside from his role as a labor organizer, he is a member of the cultural group Ebkas Waya (Speak Free), which regularly performs during protests, gatherings of people’s organizations, and at several Baguio establishments.
Cabangon received summons from the Department of Justice on Saturday, February 15, requiring him to appear before its Manila office on Monday, February 17, and 24 for a preliminary investigation.
The police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Regional Field Unit-Cordillera filed the complaint. As in previous cases, police based the charges on testimonies from alleged former New People’s Army (NPA) members.
He faces two counts of violating Section 8 of the law, which prohibits providing funds or property to designated individuals.
Authorities cited two incidents: one in March 2020, when he allegedly hosted one of the witnesses at his farmhouse in La Union, and another in March 2017, when he was accused of donating around P200,000 worth of rice to communist guerrillas in Pasil, Kalinga.
The complaint against Cabangon follows a similar case filed last month against five activists in Cagayan Valley, including a community journalist.
Cabangon denied the allegations on Sunday, February 16, saying he is ready to face his accusers in the proper forum. He said the complaint is meant to discourage dissent and activism.
KMU denounced the complaint as politically motivated and aimed at silencing dissent. Other progressive groups in Baguio have also condemned the filing of the complaint.
Pattern of abuse
The Cordillera Human Rights Alliance (CHRA) criticized the government’s repeated use of alleged former rebels as witnesses, calling it a “blatant weaponization of the law.”
“We are deeply concerned by the repeated use of alleged rebel returnees as witnesses in these fabricated complaints. This practice shows coordinated efforts by the state and its forces to manufacture evidence against activists,” CHRA stated.
Human rights groups and non-government organizations have raised concerns over the government’s use of counterterrorism laws to prosecute individuals critical of state policies.
They accuse authorities of exploiting the FATF compliance framework to justify crackdowns on dissent while attempting to fulfill commitments to the intergovernmental body and exit the FATF grey list.
The increasing number of cases has drawn international attention, prompting watchdogs such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to urge the government to stop using counterterrorism laws to target development, humanitarian, and human rights organizations.
This is the fifth case under the TFPSA filed against activists and development workers in Northern Luzon.
The Defend NGO Alliance reports that 58 individuals from 20 organizations have been accused of financing or supporting terrorists. This figure excludes the five from Cagayan Valley and Cabangon. – Rappler.com