Group: harassment of NGOs, social workers continues

Despite the Philippines' removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list, civil society organizations in Cebu assert that state-led repression of non-government organizations (NGOs) and development workers continues.

- — Jonnavie Villa/BRP

In a press conference held yesterday, Asser Development Initiatives (ADI) said that the government has not fulfilled its constitutional duty to protect civic space.

Speaking before the media, representatives from different progressive groups in Cebu shared that the government has intensified its crackdown on civil society through the continued implementation of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 and Executive Order No. 70, which institutionalized the controversial National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

ADI, a Cebu-based network of nonprofit groups, has called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to repeal repressive policies and dismantle state bodies that suppress grassroots development efforts.

"What we are witnessing is not just the persecution of individuals, but the systematic dismantling of mechanisms that empower communities," said ADI spokesman Armand Dayoha.

Cebu progressive organizations under ADI say they are frequently red-tagged, harassed, and subjected to military surveillance. For ADI, these accusations are part of a broader attempt to delegitimize development work and silence dissent.