Human rights organizations are condemning the Philippine government’s misuse of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) counterterrorism financing (CFT) standards to criminalize activists, journalists, and NGOs while evading accountability for rights abuses. A report by the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) and the Council for People’s Development and Governance (CPDG), submitted to FATF ahead of its February 2025 plenary, reveals that Manila’s technical compliance with FATF’s anti-money laundering (AML) framework has enabled systemic repression.
The study, Playbook of Repression, documents how authorities have frozen assets of 37 NGOs and grassroots organizations since 2023 under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, using secret court proceedings to designate them as “terrorist” entities without due process. Simultaneously, financial institutions—fearing FATF penalties—have severed ties with over 100 groups providing legal aid, disaster relief, and rural development services, paralyzing humanitarian operations in conflict zones like Mindanao.
FATF’s February 21 decision to remove the Philippines from its “grey list” of monitored jurisdictions has drawn sharp criticism for ignoring evidence that CFT measures are weaponized by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC). The report cites cases of state agencies using FATF compliance to justify surveillance, red-tagging, and violent threats against critics, including lawyers defending indigenous land rights and faith-based groups aiding farmers.
The report demands FATF urgently audit Manila’s CFT enforcement, mandate direct consultations with affected NGOs in future evaluations, and adopt binding safeguards to prevent misuse of counterterrorism laws. It also highlights Manila’s failure to prosecute high-profile financial crimes, including money laundering via Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), while targeting humanitarian funding.
