Iloilo City: Top officials of the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Army in Western Visayas welcomed the arrest of three individuals accused of terrorism financing in Negros Occidental. In a statement on Monday, Brig. Gen. Jack Wanky, director of Police Regional Office (PRO)-6, emphasized the critical role that terrorism financing plays in the operations of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF). “It remains the single, most utilized strategy in their desperate bid to overthrow our democratic government. Cutting the source and prosecuting those who facilitate the generation of these funds will put an end to the CPP-NPA-NDF,” he stated.
According to Philippines News Agency, joint police and military personnel served warrants of arrest to Dharyl Alba±ez, 41; Perla Pavillar, 57; and Federico Salvilla, 63, all members of the Paghidaet sa Kauswagan Development Group Inc. based in Kabankalan City, during separate operations on January 2. Alba±ez was first arrested in La Carlota City, followed by Pavillar in Cauayan town, and Salvilla in the municipality of Pulupandan.
Maj. Gen. Marion Sison, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division (ID), described the arrests as “a crucial step in curbing the flow of funds and resources” to the CPP-NPA-NDF. He noted that these groups “exploit both international and local sources to provide vital material, financial, and logistical support to sustain terroristic activities and exploitation of communities in far-flung areas.”
Last December, the three accused were among five individuals charged by the Department of Justice with violation of Section 8 of Republic Act 10168 or the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012 before the Regional Trial Court Branch 31 in Iloilo City. Both Alba±ez and Salvilla faced two counts, while Pavillar was charged with three counts, with bail set at PHP200,000 for each count. In a statement posted on Facebook, the Defend NGOs Alliance reported that Alba±ez has posted a bail of PHP400,000.
The two other accused individuals are Clarissa Ramos and Felipe Levy Gelle. The complaints were filed by the PRO-6, part of the Special Task Group on Countering Communist Terrorist Resource Generation for Region 6 (STG-CCRG), before the DOJ, which conducted the preliminary investigation proceedings before elevating the cases to court.
“We stand firmly behind the STG-CCRG’s move to expose and dismantle these terror-financing networks, ultimately depriving the CPP-NPA-NDF of the resources they need to recuperate and resurge after suffering major debacles,” Sison added.
In a separate statement, the Joint Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict-6 expressed the government’s commitment to uncover these groups and their schemes, thereby cutting off the CPP-NPA-NDF’s funding to support their terrorism-related activities. “With the arrest and the prosecution of those engaged in terrorism financing, we are confident that Western Visayas will soon break free from this menace,” it noted.
The filing of the cases against the five accused from Negros Occidental followed the landmark conviction of Ian Arevallo, a taxation unit member of the CPP-NPA-NDF Komiteng Rehiyon Panay, who pleaded guilty to being an accomplice in terrorism financing before the RTC Branch 2 in Kalibo, Aklan, in September last year.
