Events

The Defend NGOs Alliance strongly denounces another state-sponsored legal persecution this time against 11 activists in Cagayan Valley. Six regional leaders—Renato Gameng, Nelson Escalante, Anne Pascual, Jhames Paredes, Marifel Macalanda, and Walter Villegas—recently faced trumped-up terrorism financing charges under Republic Act 10168 or the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012. They join Isabelo Adviento, Agnes Mesina, Cita Managuelod, Jackie Valen

LOOK: On July 30, 2026, Leyte Center for Development, Inc. (LCDe) attended their pre-trial hearing on civil forfeiture. LCDe Executive Director and Defend NGOs Alliance Spokesperson Jazmin Jerusalem questioned the continuation of their trial after a criminal case founded on the same grounds was dismissed. She also demanded the release of their organizational and personal funds by the Anti-Money Laundering Council after the agency failed to secure a permanent freeze order. #As

The Defend NGOs Alliance stands in firm solidarity with journalist and media advocate Marchel Espina, along with all truth-tellers facing relentless legal harassment. The recent issuance of an arrest warrant for “unjust vexation” against Espina, stemming from an opinion piece published during her tenure as editor-in-chief of SunStar Cebu is a textbook example of how light criminal offenses are being weaponized to bypass constitutional rights and suppress public scrutiny. Wh

As the Marcos Jr. administration attempts to deceive the public by delivering a polished 5th State of the Nation Address (SONA), civil society organizations (CSOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), people’s organizations (POs), and human rights defenders, present the reality on the ground: the systematic chokehold on civic space continues to tighten, directly undermining the basic rights and livelihoods of the Filipino people. Behind the glossy rhetoric of “Bagong Pilip

Originally published on Gökay Akbulut - Mitglied des deutschen Bundestags As part of the German Bundestag programme “Parliamentarians Protect Parliamentarians”, I have applied to sponsor Philippine human rights defender Jazmin “Minet” Jerusalem. Jazmin Jerusalem is the Executive Director of the Leyte Center for Development and Empowerment. For decades, the organisation has supported poor, marginalised and disaster-affected communities on the islands of Leyte and Samar. It pro

03 July 2026—Today is the 6th year implementation of the Duterte regime’s Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). This marks six years of systematic weaponization of the law—facilitating the criminalization of human rights and development work. Alongside the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act (TFPSA), the ATA has been used to freeze assets (intended for community-oriented needs/services), block humanitarian missions, and place grassroots organizers and ordinary citizens und

A Statement of Support to the Anti-Mining Community in Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya The Council for People's Development and Governance (CPDG) and Defend NGOs Alliance welcome the dismissal of the forcible entry case filed against Bishop Elmer Mangalinao, Fr. Christian Dumangeng, and several members of the community of Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya, on 24 June 2026. Furthermore, CPDG and Defend NGOs support the barricades and people's collective action against the mining exploration of Nort

In light of recent legal victories, such as the dismissal of all counts of terrorism financing charges against the Leyte Center for Development, Inc. (LCDe) and other similar legal developments, the Defend NGOs Alliance maintains that the assertion for civic space must continue. On 19 June 2026, Ms. Jazmin “Minet” Jerusalem is set to attend the rescheduled pre-trial hearing on LCDe’s civil forfeiture case. She and other LCDe staff continue to endure asset freezing by the Ant

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

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