A group of human rights lawyers branded as "unjust accusation" the charge of financing terrorism that was filed in court against the Community Empowerment Resource Network (CERNET) and its officers.
In a statement, the National Union of Peoples' Lawyers (NUPL) said its members "stand in solidarity with CERNET and all those unjustly accused in other financing terrorism cases.”
CERNET is a group of civil society organizations in the Visayas. It provides funds to people's organizations and capacitates their projects.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed before the regional trial court (RTC) in Cebu criminal charges against CERNET and its officers for violations of Section 8(ii), in relation to Section 9, of Republic Act (RA) No. 10168, the Terrorism Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012.
Those charged were accused of delivering P135,000 in cash in 2012 to the South Eastern Front (SEF) of the New People's Army (NPA) in Dumaguete City.
In filing the charges in court, the DOJ banked on the testimonies of former CERNET employee Bernabe L. Nieves and former SEF-NPA officer Hermosilla Apao Villamor.
“Our commitment to upholding rights and liberties demands a resolute rejection of repressive measures masquerading as a valid exercise of police power,” the NUPL said.
“It should be reminded that the use of fabricated evidence and the solicitation of false testimony, often sourced from alleged rebel returnees and anonymous witnesses procured by the NTF-ELCAC (National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict), constitute not only ethical violations but egregious affronts to justice,” it pointed out.
It said the DOJ has the incumbent ethical duty in ensuring “justice is served... and this means upholding the principles of fairness, due process, and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty."
It alleged that the government’s counter-terrorism efforts have been targeting “organizations and individuals that have tirelessly served marginalized communities.”
“The oppression of these humanitarian organizations under the guise of counter-terrorism not only undermines public trust in our justice system but also imperils the invaluable work these entities undertake to uplift vulnerable communities,” it said.