By Juliane Judilla
BACOLOD CITY – Three development workers from the Negros-based nonprofit Paghidaet sa Kauswagan Development Group (PDG) Inc. were arrested on January 3 on charges of terrorism financing.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed six counts of terrorism financing against Dharyl Albañez, Federico Salvilla, and Perla Pavillar, along with two other PDG staff, on December 3, 2024, for allegedly funding terrorist activities.
The accused claimed increased harassment and surveillance by state forces after receiving subpoenas and before their arrests.
Perla Jaleco, one of those charged, recounted being followed by a white van during a relief mission in June 2024.
On July 2, three motorcycles were parked near her home, with riders questioning her neighbors about her whereabouts and activities.
Fisherfolk and peasant leaders Marvin Figuerora and Joselito Macapobre also reported threats from military agents, including attempts to coerce them into withdrawing their support for PDG after testifying as witnesses in the case.
The multi-sectoral group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) – Negros condemned the arrests, describing them as “unfounded and baseless.”
The group accused the government of targeting development workers under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration to suppress dissent and manipulate statistics to declare “Stable Internal Peace and Security” on Negros Island.
“Their arrest today underscores the state’s relentless weaponization of the legal system to stifle dissent,” BAYAN said.
They highlighted PDG’s decades-long advocacy for agrarian reform, sustainable agriculture, and the rights of small farmers and fisherfolk in Southern Negros, noting the red-tagging and harassment faced by the organization, including the assassination of its executive director, Atty. Benjamin Ramos Jr., in 2018.
BAYAN also criticized the use of coerced testimonies from witnesses such as Jonel Moreno to implicate PDG staff in what it called baseless accusations.
“This brazen criminalization of humanitarian and development work endangers individuals and undermines the vital support systems for marginalized communities,” the group stated.
Albañez, Salvilla, and Pavillar are detained in Cauayan and Pulupandan jails in Negros Occidental.
