The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) on Thursday, May 21, 2026, said the dismissal of a terrorism financing case against Cebu-based non-government organization Community Empowerment Resource Network (Cernet) should not be interpreted as blanket immunity for groups accused of enabling armed violence.
Ernesto Torres Jr., NTF-Elcac executive director, said the task force respects the decision of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 74 in Cebu City, which dismissed the case over legal and procedural issues involving the applicability of the 2012 anti-terror financing law. However, Torres said the ruling did not settle the broader issue of whether support networks for the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) exist.
In an order dated May 15, 2026, RTC Branch 74 Pairing Judge Van Russel Inopiquez said the case should be dismissed “for lack of statutory publication requirement and that the acts charged do not constitute a crime under the law in force at the time of their commission.” The case involved 27 former and active members of Cernet. Inopiquez ruled that the CPP-NPA lacked official domestic designation and statutory publication when prosecutors alleged that Cernet failed to prevent a P135,000 money transfer to the group.
Torres said the court’s decision did not invalidate the state’s responsibility to investigate alleged terrorism financing when supported by evidence. “The danger now is the CPP-NPA-NDF’s attempt to turn this temporary setback into an absolutist political narrative,” Torres said. “Some groups are already portraying the ruling as proof that every counterterrorism financing case filed by the government is fabricated, malicious, or illegitimate from the beginning,” he added.
Torres noted that cases may be dismissed for various reasons, including procedural defects, jurisdictional questions, weak evidence, or evolving legal interpretations. The NTF-Elcac official maintained that “activism is not terrorism, that humanitarian work is not a crime, and that criticism of government policies is part of democratic life and should remain protected.” However, “it is equally irresponsible to insist that all investigations involving insurgency financing are automatically harassment or political persecution,” he added.
According to Torres, former cadres and rebels have testified that the underground movement relies on aboveground recruitment structures, logistical support, and resource generation to survive. He said the government remains confident that the law will eventually catch up with those who enabled, sustained, or justified decades of armed violence “under the guise of revolutionary struggle.” “Ultimately, the Filipino people deserve both democratic freedoms and protection from armed violence. These are not opposing principles. They must exist together if we are serious about building a peace that is lawful, just, and lasting,” Torres said.
