Development worker in Ilocos hit with "terrorism financing" charges
State forces recently charged development worker Lenville Salvador with “terrorism financing” or violation of the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act (TFPSA) of 2012. According to the Ilocos Center for Research, Empowerment and Development (ICRED), the Department of Justice subpoenaed the ICRED former chairperson on October 17, ordering him to answer the complaint filed against him. He was ordered to appear before the DoJ in Manila for preliminary investigation on October 22 and 29. ICRED denounced the complaint, seeing it as part of a broader campaign to silence community development advocates.
“It is crucial to highlight that the accusations against Salvador are based on fabricated narratives and unfounded claims,” ICRED said. This complaint is just another form of harassment that Salvador has been facing, including red-tagging and harassment by state forces, it added.
Salvador was labeled as a “threat to Region 1” when the National Task Force-Elcac in Ilocos was established, the group said. “The attacks against him intensified and did not stop even after his retirement from development work.”
Salvador served as a development worker for several decades. He was the ICRED founding chairperson when it was established and served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Katinnulong daguiti Umili iti Amianan (Kaduami Northern Luzon) Inc. He also experienced hardships under martial law and survived an assassination attempt by the Arroyo regime in 2009.
According to Karapatan Ilocos Human Rights Alliance, this complaint is further proof of the state’s continued abuse of the law. ICRED and Karapatan-Ilocos are calling to oppose and fight the complaint.