Panaghiusa condemns court’s denial of CPA’s petition; calls to revoke ATC Reso. 41, junk terror law

Panaghiusa Philippine Network to Uphold Indigenous Peoples’ Rights strongly denounces the decision of the Baguio City Regional Trial Court Branch 78 dated April 30, 2026, which denied the Petition for Certiorari filed by Indigenous leaders of the Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA).

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Photo from: Northern Dispatch

The petition, filed by CPA Chairperson Windel Bolinget, CPA founding member Sarah Alikes, CPA Research Commission member Jennifer Taggaoa, and CPA Regional Council member Stephen Tauli, sought judicial review of their arbitrary terrorist designation by the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) and challenged the constitutionality of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 as applied to their case. This petition represented a crucial test of the law’s implementation, highlighting its grave implications for Indigenous Peoples’ rights, lawful advocacy, and democratic freedoms.

In June 2023, the ATC issued Resolution No. 41 designating Bolinget, Alikes, Taggaoa, and Tauli as terrorists. This designation was published in July 2023, leading to the freezing of their bank accounts and those of their families by the Anti-Money Laundering Council. It was not the first time CPA leaders were targeted. Bolinget had previously been included in a 2018 proscription list of alleged Communist Party of the Philippines - New Peoples Army (CPP-NPA) members, later dismissed. Tauli was abducted in 2022 and coerced into signing a document linking him to the CPP-NPA. Alikes and Taggaoa faced trumped-up rebellion and murder charges that were eventually quashed. Despite these clear patterns of harassment, the court chose to rely on uncorroborated military testimony, disregarding the constitutional rights of the Indigenous Peoples and the broader implications for Indigenous advocacy.

The court’s denial of the petition is a dangerous precedent. By refusing to recognize the clear constitutional violations and the absence of credible evidence, the decision effectively legitimizes the ATC’s unchecked power to brand the Indigenous Peoples as terrorists. This ruling imposes a continuing threat to the petitioners and to all human rights defenders, exposing them to surveillance, harassment, reputational damage, and criminal liability under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020. It also undermines the Supreme Court’s own pronouncement in Calleja v. Executive Secretary that as-applied challenges remain valid remedies once the law is enforced.

This designation and its consequences directly contradict the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Article 3 affirms the right of the Indigenous Peoples to self-determination, including freely pursuing their development and advocacy, yet CPA leaders are criminalized for defending ancestral lands. Article 5 guarantees the Indigenous Peoples’ right to sustain and strengthen their own institutions while fully participating in the political, economic, social, and cultural life of the state. The terrorist designation of CPA leaders directly violates this guarantee by criminalizing legitimate advocacy and blocking the Indigenous Peoples from exercising their rightful participation in civic and political life. Article 26 recognizes the rights of the Indigenous Peoples to their lands, territories, and resources, precisely the advocacy that has triggered state attacks against CPA.

CPA continues to stand firm in its decades-long struggle for Indigenous Peoples’ assertion of self-determination and the defense of ancestral lands. Despite relentless attacks, fabricated charges, and now the weaponization of law, CPA leaders and communities remain committed to advancing the collective aspirations of the Cordillera peoples and resisting systemic repression.

Panaghiusa reaffirms its solidarity with CPA and all Indigenous Peoples' communities under attack. We reiterate the urgent call to revoke ATC Resolution No. 41, which arbitrarily designated CPA leaders as terrorists in blatant disregard of constitutional guarantees. We likewise call for the junking of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, a law that has become a standing mechanism of repression cloaked in the language of national security.

The struggle of CPA is the struggle of all the Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines. Panaghiusa stands alongside them in asserting that defending ancestral lands, cultural integrity, and the right to self-determination is not terrorism. It is a legitimate and just cause. We call on the public, civil society, and the international community to join us in condemning this unjust ruling, challenging impunity, and strengthening solidarity for Indigenous Peoples’ rights and democracy. #