• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Three Negrenses alleged by authorities to be affiliated with the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army – National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) and allied front organizations in Negros Island, facing charges for violations of RA 10168, or the Terrorism and Financing Prevention and Suppression Act, were separately arrested by composite teams of police and Army intelligence operatives in Negros Occidental on January 2.
In a statement, the Human Rights Advocates Negros (HRAN) condemned the arrests of Federico Salvilla, Perla Pavillar, and Dharyll Albanez on Thursday, dismissing complaints filed against them as trumped up charges.
HRAN maintained that Salvilla, Pavillar, and Albanez are development workers of Paghidaet sa Kauswagan Development Group Inc., a civil society organization in Kabankalan City that serves marginalized sectors in southern Negros Occidental.
According to reports of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, the joint tracker teams of police and military intelligence operatives recommended P200,000 bail for Alvanez, who was arrested on Jan. 2 in Brgy. 1 poblacion, La Carlota City.
HRAN also reported that Salvilla was arrested in Pulupandan, while Jaleco was nabbed in Cauayan, all in Negros Occidental.
Also charged with similar offenses were Clarissa Ramos, alias Yesha Ramos, and Felipe Levy Gelle, with aliases of Ipe and Levy Bantayan. Both of them remain at large, as of this time.
Albanez and Salvilla were charged with two counts of violation of Section 8 of RA 10168 while Pavillar with three counts of the same case, according to HRAN.
PCol. Rainerio de Chavez, provincial police director of Negros Occidental, described the arrest of three suspects as a boost to the government’s anti-terrorism campaign.
The six counts of terrorism financing charges were filed by the Department of Justice against the five Negrenses December 3 last year, before the Iloilo Regional Trial Court Branch 31, the designated terrorism court in Western Visayas.
Human rights group Karapatan claimed that more than 100 social activists were charged with anti-terrorism law and financing terrorism, as well as the freezing of funds and assets of civil society organizations and their terror listing.
HRAN said it is now coordinating with families and lawyers for legal defense of those unjustly accused and persecuted.
“These cases underwent preliminary investigation before the Department of Justice. All parties were given an opportunity to be heard pursuant to the rules on preliminary investigation,” said P/Col. Gilbert Gorero, PRO 6 Regional Operations Division chief.
“This case is new for everyone. The purpose why we are doing the investigation and filing charges is to cut the source of funds,” Gorero said, adding that non-government organizations (NGOs) are usually used as fronts.
HRAN accused the NTF-ELCAC (National Task Force Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict) as the brains behind what it calls absurd trumped up cases, using so called “rebel returnees” who executed spurious and malicious sworn affidavits, with the DOJ weaponizing laws against critics and activists.
BAYAN NEGROS STATEMENT
In a statement, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) Negros strongly condemned the arrest of development workers Dharyl Albañez, Federico Salvilla, and Perla Pavillar of PDG Inc. on unfounded and baseless charges.
It said the arrests are part of Marcos Jr’s escalating crackdown against progressive development workers and activists who tirelessly champion the rights of marginalized communities.
This persecution, driven by the AFP, PNP, and NTF-ELCAC, is a blatant effort to manipulate statistics to justify the island’s declaration of a “Stable Internal Peace and Security” status. It aligns with the Marcos regime’s broader agenda of shifting its focus from addressing so-called “internal threats” to redirecting resources toward combating alleged “external threats.” This pivot serves as a clear demonstration of the administration’s subservience to U.S. imperialist interests, particularly in heightening tensions with China.
The arrests of Albañez, Salvilla, and Pavillar yesterday underscores the state’s relentless weaponization of the legal system to stifle dissent. PDG, an organization with a decades-long history of advocating for agrarian reform, sustainable agriculture, and the rights of small farmers and fisherfolk in Southern Negros, has long been a target of red-tagging and harassment. This includes the brutal assassination of its executive director, lawyer Benjamin Ramos Jr., in 2018, the statement added.
“We condemn the use of dubious witnesses, such as Jonel Moreno, whose coerced testimonies are being used to unjustly implicate PDG staff in baseless accusations of terrorism financing. This brazen criminalization of humanitarian and development work not only endangers individuals but also undermines the vital support systems for the marginalized communities they serve.”*
