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A small sari-sari storekeeper in the Mountain Province fears for her life and those of her family after she finds out a terrorism financing complaint has been filed against her
BAGUIO, Philippines — Fear is the one word that captures how Marcylyn Pilala, a small sari-sari storekeeper in Besao, Mountain Province, feels after discovering that the police filed a terrorism financing complaint against her with the Department of Justice in Manila.
She received the summons on September 25, directing her to attend the preliminary investigation and submit her counter-affidavit.
Pilala worries that the accusation could drive customers away, leading to a decrease in sales—or worse, the closure of the family business that her mother established, which has sustained their needs for years, even supporting her through her education.
Security concern stems from knowing what has happened to others labeled as supporters of communist rebels—harassment, fabricated charges, and even incidents of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. She is also wary of how people may perceive her, with the government charging her with a terrorism-related violation.
“I’m having a hard time sleeping, thinking about the situation… I have not been able to go to the farm to plant the seedlings,” Pilala said in Ilokano during an online interview on October 14.
“The thought that there might be more to come,” has kept her anxious, constantly thinking about the burden of the legal battle ahead and other family concerns.
A former substitute teacher and a mother of two, Pilala earns a living from farming and helping her mother manage a small sari-sari store. She was one of the residents who actively opposed a proposed wind energy project in their ancestral domain. She led the Mountain Province Youth Alliance during her college years, advocating indigenous rights and national democracy.
Her case is the latest in what rights groups describe as the growing misuse of anti-terrorism laws in the country, silencing dissent and threatening civil liberties.
The complaint
The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group of the Ilocos Police Regional Office filed separate complaints, accusing her of violating Sections 7 and 8 of the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act (RA 10168).
Section 7 states that anyone who knowingly assists after the crime of financing terrorism has been committed is considered an accessory. This includes benefiting from the crime, helping the main offenders profit or escape, or hiding evidence. Meanwhile, Section 8 prohibits handling property or funds of designated persons by anyone who knowingly deals with them.
The police used the testimonies of Victor and Karen Baltazar, who claimed to be former New People’s Army (NPA) members for the charges. The couple alleged that NPA members purchased food and medicine from the store. They also accused Pilala of receiving funds from an unnamed individual to support NPA activities.
Pilala and her legal team have rejected the accusations as groundless and are preparing to challenge the indictment before the DOJ.
‘Disturbing pattern‘
In a statement, Cordillera women’s group Innabuyog and its Mountain Province chapter, Binnadang, argue that this case is part of a “disturbing pattern,” where the government uses testimonies from alleged former NPA rebels to file charges against individuals.
“This absurd accusation is an example of the dangerous trend where laws meant to prevent terrorism financing are being used against innocent civilians,” the groups stated.
“Her small sari-sari store, a common source of livelihood in rural areas, has been twisted into supposed ‘evidence’ of terrorism financing. A modest livelihood is now being criminalized,” they added.
An alleged former rebel is also a government witness in the case challenging the terrorist designation of four Cordillera activists.
Human rights organization Karapatan described the case as harassment aimed at silencing political dissent.
“The trumped-up case against Pilala adds to over a hundred false, arbitrary, and unjust terrorism-related charges against activists, many of which have been dismissed,” Karapatan said.
“It is only clear that the Marcos Jr. regime’s ploy to charge anyone of violations of terrorism financing, as well as violations of the Anti-Terror Act, is pure harassment and a justification to quell political dissent,” Karapatan added. – Rappler.com
