Fears about the anti-terror law now in full swing are starting after the government froze the assets of a retired priest in Northern Samar after being tagged a terrorist.
Resolution No. TF-55 was issued by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) on June 10, “directing the issuance of sanctions freeze order to take effect immediately” against six people including retired Catholic priest Monsignor Walter Alipio de Asis Cerbito.
Cerbito was among the six people tagged as terrorists on May 25 alongside Luis Jalandoni, the exiled senior adviser of the National Democratic Front (NDF).
Denunciations
However, Faith-based groups from different religious denominations in the country denounced the alleged unfounded tagging as well as the unjust freezing of the priest’s assets.
The group Pilgrims for Peace, a group of Church and civil society leaders, issued a statement saying that the tagging of Cerbito as a terrorist is an affront to his Christian faith and his lifetime of mission and ministry.
“Monsignor Cerbito is a respected man of the cloth who has been at the forefront of human rights advocacy and ministry with the poor and marginalized communities,” the group stated.
Cerbito formerly served as the vicar general of the Diocese of Catarman until he was deemed resigned in 2016 when he ran as Northern Samar governor against then incumbent Jose Ong Jr.
“In Northern Samar, Monsignor Cerbito is renowned for upholding a prophetic stand against human rights abuses. His advocacy has angered the powers-that-be, including the military and other government officials who had oppressed local communities and violated their democratic rights,” they added.
Guilt by association
The group also believes that the alleged red-tagging of Cerbito was based merely based on guilt by association.
“We can only extrapolate that manufactured testimonies of alleged rebel returnees under the custody of the AFP/PNP (Armed Forces of the Philippine/Philippine National Police) may have been used against Msgr. Cerbito. Circumstances surrounding such witnesses render their affidavits highly questionable, biased, and unreliable,” it added.
The anti-terror law governed by the anti-terror council has the power to label anyone as a terrorist without having to go to court, and without giving the subjects due hearings.
The designation will happen based only on the council’s determination and without notice.
Such powerful law is indeed to be feared especially by ordinary people and passionate advocates, considering how helpless it would render an individual once labeled as a terrorist who is critical of the government, contrary to their intention of fighting for the rights of those ordinary and voiceless sector of our society.