Events

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

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

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

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

The Defend NGOs Alliance strongly appeal the dropping of the civil forfeiture case filed against Ms. Jazmin Jerusalem and other staff of the Leyte Center for Development, Inc. (LCDe) as well as the release of LCDe’s funds including their personal funds that were frozen under the Provisional Asset Preservation Order (PAPO) by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC). To recall, last February 20, the Regional Trial Court of Manila, Branch 28, has already lifted the Provisional

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

Frenchie Mae Cumpio and Marielle Domequil's conviction shows how easily flawed charges can move through the system and still result in conviction, despite the lack of credible proof. When courts begin to uphold cases that should not have prospered, repression no longer hides behind impunity. It becomes policy, procedure, and precedent.

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

On March 5, 2026, the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL), Atty. Rey Gorgonio, and the development workers of Paghidaet sa Kauswagan Development Group (PDG), accompanied by members of the Defend NGOs Alliance filed a petition for a Writ of Amparo and Habeas Data at the Manila Supreme Court to seek protection from persisting death threats and surveillance made by suspected military elements. Atty. Rey Gorgonio along with development workers of Paghidaet sa Kauswagan Deve