End Lawfare and Red-Tagging Against Development and Humanitarian Workers

On the International Human Rights Day, the Defend NGOs Alliance exposes the widening gap between the Marcos Jr. administration’s polished rhetoric on human rights and the grim realities faced by civil society on the ground. While the government projects itself as a champion of reform before the international community, NGOs, development workers, and human rights defenders continue to endure intensifying red-tagging, legal harassment, and reprisals.

Five years after the enactment of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 (ATA), its abuses—alongside overbroad terrorism financing rules—remain at the center of shrinking civic space. These laws have been repeatedly misused to surveil, intimidate, and obstruct legitimate humanitarian, development and human rights work. Despite claims of “compliance” and “national security,” the State continues to vilify organizations serving poor and disaster-affected communities.

The recent red-tagging and harassment of Tarabang Para sa Bicol (TABI) staff and consultant—through malicious posters plastered across Albay, Sorsogon, and Camarines Sur—shows how impunity thrives when law enforcement tolerates attacks against civil society. Targeting long-standing community educators and disaster responders exposes the systemic nature of repression under the current counter-terrorism framework.

Against this backdrop, the Defend NGOs Alliance has consistently challenged the State’s attempts to narrow civic space—from confronting red-tagging and law-fare to exposing abuses in counter-terrorism and regulatory systems. The Alliance pushes for accountability by documenting attacks, engaging duty-bearers, and mobilizing public pressure to defend NGOs’ rights to operate without fear. Its work underscores that civil and political rights—freedom of association, expression, and participation—are inseparable from communities’ struggles for economic, social, and cultural rights, especially where repression directly denies people access to services, social justice, and people-led development.

We call on development partners, the diplomatic community, and democratic institutions to support urgent actions to reclaim civic space. This includes reviewing and moving towards amending or repealing the ATA, related terrorism financing laws, EO 70, and ultimately abolishing the NTF-ELCAC. We urge support for an independent inquiry into the misuse of laws and regulatory mechanisms to malign and attack NGOs.

We also call for strong backing of the CSO Manifesto—particularly the passage of the Human Rights Defenders Bill, Comprehensive Anti-Discrimination Bill, and Environmental Defenders Bill, and the establishment of Human Rights Cities with meaningful CSO participation. Consistent public statements, independent investigations into red-tagging, and court-watching for cases involving HRDs are essential to countering lawfare.

We urge diplomatic pressure to ensure transparency and safeguards within FATF-aligned AMLC/CTF rules, prevent their weaponization, and tie international assistance to the government’s human rights track record.

Finally, we ask the government to resume genuine GRP-NDFP peace talks to address the roots of the armed conflict.

Human rights must be upheld—not merely performed. Civil society must be protected—not attacked. #