Cordillera Peoples Alliance asks SC to unfreeze assets, bank accounts

The Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) on Monday filed a petition asking the Supreme Court (SC) to unfreeze its assets and bank accounts.

In a 34-page petition for review on certiorari, the CPA asked the High Court to issue a temporary restraining order or a preliminary injunction on the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) lifting the basis for its freeze order.

It also asked the Court to reverse and set aside a ruling of the Court of Appeals (CA) that also dismissed their petition against the freeze order.

“Kami ay nandito ngayon sa SC upang i-file ang aming petition for certiorari o kaya para ang SC ay i-review at i-reverse ‘yung desisyon ng CA kaugnay sa freezing ng bank accounts ng CPA,” secretary general Bestang Dekdeken said in an interview.

(We are here at the SC to file our petition for certiorari or for the SC to review and reverse the decision of the CA on the freezing of the CPA’s bank accounts.) 

According to Dekdeken, their accounts were frozen in July 2023 after four CPA leaders were designated as terrorists by the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC).

“This happened very arbitrarily and para sa amin, ito ay napaka-unjust at naninindigan kami na walang dahilan upang bansagang terorista ang mga leaders ng CPA na ang ginagawa lamang ay ipaglaban ang karapatan ng katutubong mamamayan sa Cordillera,” she said.

(This happened very arbitrarily and for us, it was unjust and we maintain that there is no reason to designate as terrorists the leaders of the CPA who only fight for the rights of the indigenous people of the Cordillera.) 

Due to the freezing of accounts, Dekdeken said their programs to give aid to victims affected by typhoons and natural disasters have been affected.

“Kasama kami sa mga immediately nag rerespond sa communities. So ito lang ang isa sa mga programa naming nawala ngayon dahil doon sa freezing ng bank accounts. Hindi na kami makatanggap ng pondo,” she said.

(We immediately respond to the communities. So this is one of our programs that were lost because of the freezing of the bank accounts. We can no longer get funds.)

Aside from this, the CPA also asked the Court to set an oral argument on the merits of the case.

The CPA also asked the Court to declare unconstitutional a portion of The Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012 and the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.

The respondents are the AMLC and the Anti-Terrorism Council.

GMA News Online sought the comment of the respondents but has yet to receive a response as of posting time.

The four CPA officers have also filed a petition before a Baguio court to challenge their designation as terrorists in November 2023.—AOL, GMA Integrated News