Ensuring Justice and Civic Space in the Review of Anti-Terror Laws

The Defend NGOs Alliance conveners together with Karapatan, Tanggol Magsasaka held a media forum on 16 February 2026 to discuss the House Resolutions calling for the investigation of enforcement of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 and the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012. The House resolutions were e-filed by Mamamayang Liberal Partylist representative Leila de Lima.

The forum comes at a pivotal moment as Congress is being called upon to review how these laws have been applied in practice, particularly in cases affecting civil society organizations, journalists, Indigenous rights defenders, and other sectors engaged in lawful advocacy and legitimate development work; including even commercial activities.

Reports from human rights and legal organizations, including Karapatan, indicate that over 100 human rights defenders and activists have faced accusations or charges under these laws. Civil society groups such as the Cordillera People’s Alliance (CPA), Community Empowerment Resource Network (CERNET) Inc. and the Leyte Center for Development (LCDe), have experienced asset freezes and legal actions that disrupted humanitarian and development programs, immobilizing funds and creating a chilling effect on civic engagement, including assertion of rights by communities.

By contrast, the government appears to have been less aggressive and taking a snail pace in resolving corruption cases of plunderous proportions.

Although the Philippines exited the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force in 2025, advocates emphasize that compliance with international financial standards must not come at the expense of constitutional rights, due process, and democratic freedoms. Counterterrorism and terrorism-financing measures should remain targeted, evidence-based, and directed at genuine threats—not lawful dissent, humanitarian action, development and advocacy work.

The media forum featured the following speakers:

· Representative Leila De Lima of Mamamayang Liberal

· Dean Tony La Viña of CPDG and KLIMA; DefendNGO Convener

· Atty. Maria Sol Taule of Karapatan

· Estrella Catarata of CERNET 27

· Danilo Ramos of Tanggol Magsasaka

· Jazmin Jerusalem of LCDe

Speakers presented legal analysis, documentation of past cases, and policy recommendations related to the proposed congressional inquiry.

Organizers stressed that the resolutions are not intended to weaken the State’s capacity to respond to genuine security threats. Rather, they aim to ensure that national security measures are proportionate, transparent, and aligned with constitutional and international human rights standards.

Congress is called upon to assess whether statutory safeguards are sufficient, whether judicial oversight of asset freezes and designations is robust, and whether legislative reforms are needed to protect civic space.

The conveners underscored that attacks on human rights defenders and development workers deprives the communities they serve of economic, social and cultural rights.###