Court of Appeal. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/COURT OF APPEAL WEBSITE
MANILA, Philippines — The Court of Appeals (CA) has dismissed the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) request for an order freezing the funds of a peasant women’s organization, citing the government’s failure to prove that the group’s bank account is being used to finance terrorist activities.
The National Federation of Peasant Women in Amihan had previously been identified by the government as having ties to the communist movement.
Two government witnesses claimed that funds from foreign donors were funneled into the group’s bank account to allegedly finance the activities of the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People’s Army.
“There is nothing in the Sinumpaang Salaysay [Sworn Statement] of Ms. Gleceria Jandayan Baladiao and Ms. Jackielyn Ann Murillo Elaco that would show that the BPI accounts in question are linked or related to illegal activity,” reads the CA order made public Thursday.
“The court finds no specific allegation or even a single transaction that Respondent Amihan National’s BPI account is used to fund terrorist acts under RA 10168,” the order also states.
The National Amihan, based in Quezon City, is a federation of peasant women’s organizations calling for real land reform and the national industrialization of the country.
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