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Free Porquia and Guillen, Defend Development Work
This is how community work is punished in the Philippines today. Two women in their 60s were arrested in Pavia, Iloilo on 02 April, in the middle of Holy Week, when courts slow down, when offices close early, when most people are told to pause and reflect. That pause did not apply to Josephine Parra Porquia (64 years old) and Ma. Luisa Tagamolila Guillen (62 years old). They were taken on the basis of accusations that follow a familiar pattern: tag someone as a rebel, build a

Defend NGOs Alliance
Apr 8
A Life for the People, A Quest for Justice: Honoring Teresa Claire “Teray” Alicaba
The passing of Teresa Claire “Teray” Alicaba in March 2026 is a profound loss for the Philippine development community and a stark indictment of the ongoing judicial harassment against human rights defenders (HRDs). As a dedicated officer of the Community Empowerment Resource Network (CERNET), Teray’s life and work represented a commitment to structural change and the empowerment of marginalized sectors across the Visayas. On behalf of the Council for People’s Development and

Defend NGOs Alliance
Mar 27
Kami ang Nagbabantay, Bakit Kami Sinasalakay?
Mariing kinokondena ng Defend NGOs Alliance ang ginagawa ng administrasyong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. na kriminalisahin ang mga nagdaang kilos-protesta laban sa korapsyon at sa panawagan ng pananagutan ng mga mamamayan sa mga sangkot sa korapsyon. Habang ang mga personalidad na sangkot sa isyu ng korapsyon sa flood control ay patuloy na nakaiiwas sa hustisya, inaatake naman ng pulisya ang mga nagbabantay kontra korapsyon – mga kabataan, magsasaka, mangingisda, manggagawa at iba pa

Defend NGOs Alliance
Oct 30, 2025
Solidarity Message of Ms. Mary Lawlor, UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights for Bugkos 2025
Hello, everyone, and thank you for inviting me to speak at this event to mark World Humanitarian Day. Around the globe, humanitarian...

Defend NGOs Alliance
Sep 3, 2025
Solidarity message of Ms. Signe Poulsen, Senior Human Rights Adviser of UN OHCHR for Bugkos 2025
Dear Friends in the humanitarian community, Let me first thank the organizers, the Defend NGOs Alliance National and Visayas, together...

Defend NGOs Alliance
Sep 3, 2025
Defend NGOs Alliance hails judicial victories for HRDs
The Defend NGOs alliance welcomes recent judicial victories that saw the acquittal of human rights defenders (HRD) Rev. Nathaniel...

Defend NGOs Alliance
Jun 9, 2025
Letter to the Editor: The Philippine Star (PhilStar)
Letter to the Editor The Philippine Star (PhilStar) This is in reference to your news article “NPA finance officer nabbed in Bohol” by...

Defend NGOs Alliance
Jun 5, 2025
Defend NGOs welcomes dismissal of PDG case; renews call to end attacks on NGOs
STATEMENT May 6, 2025 The Defend NGOs Alliance lauds the decision of the Iloilo Regional Trial Court Branch 31 in April 22, 2025 denying...

Defend NGOs Alliance
May 6, 2025
Feb 5, 2025- Side event on Role of OGP in HRD Protection
The Defend NGOs Alliance and the Council for People’s Development and Governance (CPDG) cordially invite you to our side event themed ...

Defend NGOs Alliance
Jan 27, 2025
Sign-on Statement to Call for the Immediate Release and Drop the Trumped up Charges Against Five Development Workers in Negros Occidental, Philippines
We, the undersigned, urgently call for public support for the immediate release of two development workers and the cancellation of...

Defend NGOs Alliance
Jan 5, 2025
Marcos Jr admin sacrificing NGOs to exit FATF “grey list”
The Defend NGOs Alliance denounced increasing judicial attacks on NGOs and people’s organizations (POs) under the Marcos Jr...

Defend NGOs Alliance
Dec 4, 2024
Shrinking Civic Spaces on the 4th year of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA)
On July 2, 2024, civil society organizations raised the alarm on increasing attacks on non-governmental organizations and people's...

Defend NGOs Alliance
Jul 8, 2024
Anti-Terror Law @ 4: A Press Conference by the Defend NGOs Alliance
𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗗𝗘𝗙𝗘𝗡𝗗 𝗡𝗚𝗢𝘀 𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗝𝗨𝗟𝗬 𝟮, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 Photo by Charles Perez/ Pinoy Weekly...

Defend NGOs Alliance
Jul 2, 2024
Civil society alarmed by growing attacks on development NGOs— Council for People's Development and Governance (CPDG)
Press Conference during Pag-Alabin: People Development, A Forum-Exhibit on CSOs Good Practices in Development held from May 21 and 23 at...

Defend NGOs Alliance
May 27, 2024
Previous Articles


Defend NGOs Alliance supports CERNET's perjury lawsuit against Brigadier General Joey Escanillas and Bernabe Nieves
On this day, May 26, 2026, CERNET’s preliminary investigation of a filed case of perjury against Brigadier General Joey Escanillas and Bernabe Nieves is set to take place. This came after CERNET was repeatedly red-tagged and falsely charged with financing terrorists. The Defend NGOs Alliance strongly supports CERNET’s lawsuit as an important step towards reclaiming justice from the vilification of state forces. #PushBackAgainstStateRepression #AssertCivicSpaces


DISMISSAL OF CERNET 27 CASE: A LEGAL VICTORY AGAINST STATE REPRESSION
The Defend NGOs Alliance welcomes the decision of the RTC Branch 74 in Cebu to dismiss the case filed against the Community Empowerment Resource Network, Inc. (CERNET) under the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012 or Republic Act (RA) No. 10168. The court decision granted CERNET’s Joint Motion to Dismiss on 31 March 2026 and was released on 18 May 2026, wherein the alleged charged acts “do not constitute a crime under the law in force at the time of the


CSOs WARY ADDITIONAL “TERROR” LAWS MAY CLOSE CIVIC SPACE
The Council for People’s Development and Governance (CPDG) and the Defend NGOs Alliance strongly opposes the legislation of additional bills that would fortify the legal infrastructure against human rights defenders (HRDs), civil society organizations (CSOs), and development workers. Three proposed legislations pending in Congress will pose even more danger for CSOs and HRDs. The “Anti-Fake News and Disinformation Act” or House Bill (HB) 2697 and its parallel version Senate


Accountability Over Allegations: A Statement of Support for Estrella Catarata and the CERNET 27
The Defend NGOs Alliance expresses its unwavering support for Estrella Catarata, the Executive Director of Sibol ng Agham at Teknolohiya (SIBAT) and one of the CERNET 27, as she pursues her civil suit for damages against Brigadier General Joey Escanillas. This legal action, filed on 23 April 2025, serves as a necessary challenge to the dangerous practice of red-tagging and the weaponization of state resources against humanitarian and development workers. The suit stems from 3


Despite Court Order, AMLC Keeps LCDE Assets Frozen
The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) on Tuesday, 21 April 2026, electronically filed a Manifestation with Motion to Compel the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to unfreeze the bank accounts of the Leyte Center for Development (LCDE) at the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 28. This move follows a series of decisive legal setbacks for the government’s attempts to freeze the assets and prosecute the leadership of the veteran humanitarian organization. The De
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