Protest actions by national-democratic organizations in the Philippines and overseas marked the sixth year of the fascist Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) on July 3. Under the US-Marcos regime, the use of the said law and its twin legislation, the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act (TFPSA), has worsened in suppressing the legitimate resistance of the people. Carrying the call to scrap the “twin terror laws,” progressive groups launched a rally in front of the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Manila.

In the latest report by Karapatan, at least 256 activists, mass leaders, and ordinary citizens have fallen victim to the twin “counter-terrorism” laws. Among them, 222 were slapped with trumped-up charges. Out of these cases, 138 have already been dismissed by courts due to lack of sufficient evidence and constitutional basis. According to Karapatan, this proves that the cases are nothing but “political persecution”.

Currently, 25 of those charged remain detained. They include journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio, development workers Marielle Domequil and Emilio Gabales, and church worker Aldeem Yañez.

Since the enactment of the ATA, 37 individuals have been arbitrarily designated as “terrorists” by the fascist Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC). These include Cordillera People’s Alliance (CPA) indigenous leaders Windel Bolinget, Sarah Alikes, Jennifer Awingan, and Steve Tauli. Two of those designated—Norman Ortiz and Lee Sudario—are victims of enforced disappearance perpetrated by the military. Some are peace consultants of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.

In 2025, the TFPSA was also used to file fabricated charges against six activists in Cagayan Valley (Cagayan Valley 6) and staff members of non-governmental organizations in Negros, such as the Paghidaet sa Kauswagan Development Group (PDG) Inc.

“For many years, the Anti-Terrorism Act and the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act have served as legal weapons for unjust arrests, prolonged detention, the freezing of bank accounts, and other forms of political repression, threatening the basic rights and freedoms of the people,” said Cristina Palabay, secretary general of Karapatan.

She noted that the US-Marcos regime is no different from its predecessors in employing fascism to cover up the social crisis.

“The Marcos Jr administration continues to weaponize these laws to silence critics and suppress legitimate political dissent,” she said. “Instead of addressing the root causes of the social crisis, the government chose to expand the machinery of repression through laws that penalize those who organize, speak out, and defend people’s rights”.

Meanwhile, a statement from Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) noted that the bogus doctrine of the United Nations and US imperialism on the “war on terror” provides justification for successive reactionary regimes in the Philippines to suppress democracy.

“While we call for the junking of the terror laws and condemn the atrocities committed by the US-Duterte and US-Marcos regimes, we also hold global institutions like the United Nations accountable because its Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy has become the playbook of authoritarian leaders to justify their brutal and anti-democratic policies,” Bayan stated.

Meanwhile, in New York, US, a militant protest by Fil-Am activists led by Bayan-USA, Malaya Movement USA, and ICHRP-US confronted the Marcos regime’s delegation, which included representatives from the National Task Force-Elcac and the ATC. State officials attended the Fourth United Nations Counter-Terrorism Week (June 26–July 2) to boast about their bloody record.