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 Defend NGOs Alliance personally submitted the documents at the RTC Branch 28 the following day, 22 April 2026. The Alliance urgently appeals the unfreezing of LCDE bank accounts. “The continued freezing of LCDE’s accounts has effectively paralyzed vital humanitarian and development projects in Eastern Visayas,” says Defend NGOs Alliance National Spokesperson and LCDE Executive Director Jazmin Jerusalem.

According to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Eastern Visayas consistently ranks as one of the poorest regions in the Philippines, with poverty incidence among families often exceeding 22%. LCDE serves at least 3,000 families, or approximately 17,000 individuals, every year with relief aid and early recovery programs. This represents thousands of vulnerable people who are directly deprived of support every year that the organization is forced to remain offline.

“By keeping these funds out of reach despite multiple court orders, the AMLC is not fighting terrorism, it is obstructing disaster relief and poverty alleviation in a region that needs it most. Every day these accounts remain frozen is a day that farmers, fisherfolk, and typhoon survivors are denied the support LCDE has provided for 38 years,” says Jerusalem.

The Alliance is sounding the alarm on the severe “ripple effect” of the AMLC’s continued freeze, which extends far beyond the organization:

• The personal bank accounts of LCDE staff and the families of the accused remain frozen, depriving individuals of their own personal savings for basic needs and survival.

• The freeze also ensnared the bank accounts of small local businesses in Leyte, suppliers who provided materials for LCDE’s community and disaster relief projects. These small enterprises now face financial ruin.

The motion comes after Manila RTC Branch 28 issued a series of rulings dismantling the civil forfeiture case against LCDE. On 20 February 2026, the court denied the AMLC’s request for an Asset Preservation Order (APO) and lifted the Provisional Asset Preservation Order (PAPO). On 18 March 2026, the same court denied the AMLC’s motion for reconsideration, effectively ruling that there is no legal basis to continue holding the NGO’s funds.

Furthermore, on 15 April 2026, the Tacloban RTC Branch 45 upheld the dismissal of three criminal cases against LCDE Executive Director Jazmin Jerusalem. The court denied the prosecution’s motion for reconsideration, affirming that the charges against the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act (TFPSA) were groundless due to the lack of required publication of terrorist designations.

Similar cases of terrorism financing also hound grassroots-based networks. The cases of Community Empowerment Resource Network (CERNET 27), Paghidaet sa Kauswagan Development Group (PDG), and Katinnulong Dagiti Umili Ti Amianan (KADUAMI) demonstrate a trend using the TFPSA to harass development organizations assisting farming and fishing communities.

The Defend NGOs Alliance calls for:

1. For the AMLC to respect the Manila RTC Branch 28 ruling and unfreeze LCDE’s accounts immediately.

2. An end to the weaponization of financial regulations against NGOs like CERNET, PDG, and KADUAMI.

3. For the Philippine government to acknowledge and support the critical contribution of NGOs to national development rather than treating them as enemies.

The courts have spoken repeatedly: the accusations are baseless. It is time to let the work of development continue without the threat of state-sponsored harassment.#