KARAPATAN welcomed the dismissal by the Department of Justice (DOJ) of the terrorist financing charges against Myrna Zapanta, a long-time women’s and indigenous rights activist.
The complainants, PCMS Jomar Camat and PCPL John Galvizo of the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Regional Field Unit 1, alleged that Zapanta was a finance officer of the New People’s Army (NPA) and provided funds to the NPA on numerous occasions, in violation of the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act.
In support of Camat and Galvizo’s complaint, they presented Avelino Dacanay, a former member of Solidarity of Tobacco Planters Against Exploitation (STOP-EX) and Katinnulong Dagiti Umili iti Amianan (KADUAMI), a regional development organization. Dacanay allegedly surrendered to state authorities by executing an Oath of Allegiance to the Government in November 2021. In his testimony, however, he merely said that Zapanta had given him money for meetings, mobilizations and other activities of STOP-EX and KADUAMI.
The 13-page resolution penned by DOJ Assistant State Prosecutor Eric Opriasa raised doubts about Dacanay’s credibility as a witness, stating that he could not even prove that he was a former rebel who took part in the operations he claimed to have participated in. For her part, Zapanta argued that Dacanay’s affidavit focused on their mutual activities with STOP-EX and KADUAMI as well as protest actions of tobacco farmers, which are all legitimate in nature and do not constitute terrorist acts.
Assistant State Prosecutor Opriasa cleared Zapanta for insufficiency of evidence.
“The Marcos Jr. government, through the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), has been using alleged rebel returnees to execute perjurious affidavits in exchange for money and other personal gain,” said Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay. “The perjured testimonies of these so-called rebel returnees, which form the bases of so many trumped-up charges against political activists, church and development workers, should not be given any credibility at all by the prosecutors and the courts,” added Palabay.
“Such charges have been purposely filed to harass development organizations and activists like Zapanta and derail their pro-people activities,” decried Palabay. “With the dismissal of these charges against her,” she added, “we hope this marks the end of the state’s judicial harassment against her. She and other development workers should feel free to continue their service to the people without fear of reprisal.”
“Of course,” said Palabay, “the way to assure a safe environment for Zapanta and other activists is to abolish the NTF-ELCAC altogether and do away with all terror laws.”
