Philippines - February 2025

According to local human rights lawyers, terrorism financing cases rose from 14 in 2023 to 66 in 2024—a 371 per cent increase, primarily targeting activists and human rights defenders. Many of the reported cases have involved individuals accused by the government of links to the communist insurgency, a claim often tied to the country’s widespread practice of “red tagging.” The findings came to light as the Philippines, in February, was removed from the “grey list” of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an intergovernmental organization supervising the international financial system. The designation had long restricted trade and financial transactions for Filipinos. While government officials welcomed the development, rights experts and advocates have warned that this coincides with the government’s escalating efforts to file baseless charges against civil society and activists. Human Rights Watch states that FATF standards have been weaponized to suppress dissent and arbitrarily freeze the assets of civil society groups.

Sources: Human Rights Watch, The Diplomat, Rappler, International IDEA