BAGUIO CITY — Four Cordilleran activists, tagged as terrorists by the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC), petitioned the Baguio Regional Trial Court (RTC) on Thursday to void their being labeled as such, citing infringement of their constitutional rights.
In their petition, Windel Bolinget, Sarah Abellon-Alikes, Jennifer Awingan-Taggaoa, and Stephen Tauli, all of the Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA), told the court that their rights as Filipinos have been violated when the ATC tagged them as terrorists last June 7 and consequently had the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) freeze their bank accounts.
Even as leaders of the CPA, they told the court that their group is “not a legal front of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army or any terrorist organization.”
Mr. Bolinget, who chairs the CPA, said the ATC resolution was “an assault to their basic rights” and “deprived them of fully practicing their work and advocacy and ultimately subjected them to further harassment, humiliation, and threats.”
Their petition before the court now adds to the pressure against the Anti-Terror Law (ATL) amid 37 petitions filed before the Supreme Court since 2020 by various groups and individuals.
It was crafted by a team of lawyers that included Tony La Viña, Carlos Zarate, Ayangwa Claver, Marben Panlasigui, and Baguio City Councilor Jose Molintas as well as the National Union of Peoples Lawyers (NUPL).
“We knew from the start that this law would only be weaponized in silencing dissent. They try to make us falter; we, indigenous peoples and human rights defenders. But we will never deter. This legal action is a testament to our unwavering resolve and unity in standing up for our civil liberties,” Mr. Bolinget said. — Artemio A. Dumlao
