Citizens' Disaster Response Network

24/05/2026

16/04/2026

15/04/2026

STATEMENT | April 15, 2026

CSOs call for dismissal of the civil forfeiture case against Jazmin Jerusalem and the release of LCDe funds

The Defend NGOs Alliance strongly appeal the dropping of the civil forfeiture case filed against Ms. Jazmin Jerusalem and other staff of the Leyte Center for Development, Inc. (LCDe) as well as the release of LCDe’s funds including their personal funds that were frozen under the Provisional Asset Preservation Order (PAPO) by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).

To recall, last February 20, the Regional Trial Court of Manila, Branch 28, has already lifted the Provisional Asset Preservation Order (PAPO) and has denied the government’s request for an Asset Preservation Order (APO) in the civil forfeiture case involving LCDe. The rulings found the petition unable to provide substantial evidence linking LCDe’s bank accounts and transactions to unlawful activity under the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) and the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act (TFPSA). But despite the court order that lifted the freezing of LCDe’s accounts, the AMLC continues to hold LCDe’s funds and the petition for civil forfeiture has not been dismissed. This Thursday, April 16, Ms. Jerusalem is set for pre-trial at the Regional Trial Court of Manila, Branch 28 on the civil forfeiture case.

LCDe has been operating in Eastern Visayas where they work in assisting communities affected by disasters. Freezing LCDe’s funds adversely affected their development and humanitarian assistance for communities in dire need of help especially in times of calamities. LCDe’s services include relief, rehabilitation and disaster risk preparedness all of which have been disrupted by the unfounded judicial cases made against them.

The Defend NGOs Alliance stands in solidarity with Ms. Jerusalem and LCDe in their fight against terrorist labeling and injustice including the psychological stress they are made to suffer in the long years the trumped up cases have dragged on.

Defend NGOs reminds the Philippine government of its commitment to enable and strengthen civic spaces; recognize CSOs as development actors as it concluded the 4th monitoring round of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC). LCDe and Ms. Jerusalem has been recognized locally and internationally for their invaluable contribution to community development, the decades of humanitarian work that served about 1.3 million people in Eastern Visayas.

Defend NGOs hold that the attack on LCDe, on Ms. Jerusalem is part of a broader pattern of repression wherein counterterrorism laws and corresponding financial sanctions are being misused and abused to silence development workers and prevent communities in asserting their rights to development and democratic governance.

As the country continues to face crisis after crisis, the Filipino people should not be made to cope with both an unresponsive government and state attacks that undermine their rights. Defend NGOs emphasize the legitimacy of development work and that the Filipino people deserve better governance and support. Attacks on development workers, attacks on NGOs are attacks on the people’s right to development. #

The Defend NGOs Alliance strongly appeal the dropping of the civil forfeiture case filed against Ms. Jazmin Jerusalem and other staff of the Leyte Center for Development, Inc. (LCDe) as well as the release of LCDe’s funds including their personal funds that were frozen under the Provisional Asset ...

31/03/2026

𝓑𝓪𝓫𝓪𝓮, 𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓭𝓲 𝓼𝓾𝓼𝓾𝓴𝓸—𝓫𝓪𝓫𝓪𝓮, 𝓹𝓪𝓽𝓾𝓵𝓸𝔂 𝓷𝓪 𝓵𝓪𝓵𝓪𝓫𝓪𝓷.

Sa pagdiriwang ng Buwan ng Kababaihan, kinikilala ng Citizens’ Disaster Response Network (CDRN) ang patuloy na pakikibaka ng kababaihan sa gitna ng lumalalang krisis—mula sa climate change, kahirapan, at gyera hanggang sa pagnipis ng civic space. Sa mga rehiyong tulad ng Eastern Visayas at Bicol na nakaharap sa Karagatang Pasipiko at unang tinatamaan ng malalakas na bagyo, malinaw ang kritikal na papel ng kababaihan sa pagpapatatag ng kanilang mga komunidad.

“Ang mga kababaihan, partikular ang mula sa mga bulnerableng sektor, mga manggagawa at magsasaka, ang higit na naaapektuhan. Sila ang unang nakakaranas ng pagkawala ng kabuhayan, seguridad, at tahanan. Ngunit sila rin ang nasa unahan ng pagtugon, pagbangon, at pagbibigay ng lakas sa iba,” ani Aubrey Versoza, Executive Director ng Tarabang para sa Bicol, Inc.

“Mahalaga na ang mga kababaihan ay organisado at napapakilos upang mabawasan ang epekto ng mga kalamidad. Ang CDRN ay isang matatag na network na nagbibigay ng espasyong nagpapalakas sa mga lider-kababaihan upang makapag-ambag sa pagpapaunlad ng kanilang mga komunidad. Ang mga inisyatibang kanilang pinamumunuan ay napatunayang tumutugon sa panandalian at pangmatagalang pang-ekonomiyang pangangailangan ng mga komunidad,” ayon kay Jazmin Jerusalem, Executive Director ng Leyte Center for Development, Inc.

Sa kabila nito, humaharap ang mga kababaihan at kanilang mga organisasyon sa lumalalang banta sa civic space, kabilang ang harassment at red-tagging. Gayunpaman, nananatiling matatag ang kanilang paninindigan. “Sa kabila ng mga banta at pagtatangka na patahimikin ang ating mga boses, nananatili tayong matatag sa ating paninindigan para sa karapatan, hustisya, at kalikasan. Mahalaga na ipagpatuloy natin ang laban hindi lamang para sa ating mga sarili kundi para sa susunod na henerasyon,” dagdag ni Versoza.

Sa panahong ito ng matitinding hamon, nananawagan ang CDRN na ipagtanggol at depensahan ang civic spaces, at patuloy na suportahan ang pamumuno ng kababaihan sa disaster risk reduction. Ang lakas ng kababaihan ay lakas ng komunidad—sa paghahanda, pagtugon, at pagbangon tungo sa isang makatarungan, ligtas, at sustenableng kinabukasan.

11/03/2026

𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗟𝗖𝗗𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀. 𝗘𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸.
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The Defend NGOs Alliance Visayas welcomes the court’s decision to drop all three counts of terrorism financing against Jazmin “Minet” Aguisanda-Jerusalem for lack of the required publication of the foreign and supranational designation relied upon in charging the accused, a failure that the court ruled constituted a clear violation of the constitutional guarantee of due process.

To recall, Ms. Minet, the Director of the Leyte Center for Development (LCDe), DNA National Spokesperson, and officer of the Citizens’ Disaster Response Network, had been facing three counts of terrorism financing based largely on testimonies of alleged rebel returnees. In July of 2025, she pleaded not guilty to those accusations.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘃𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆, 𝘆𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗹 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘆𝗮𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝗹𝗮𝘄𝘀.

Moreover, despite the court’s ruling, the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) continues to hold the funds of the LCDe. These frozen resources directly affect programs intended for marginalized communities that rely on development and humanitarian support.

𝗗𝗡𝗔 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘆𝗮𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗺. We call for the immediate release of LCDe’s funds, the dropping of all remaining baseless charges against development workers, and an end to the use of terrorism financing laws to silence legitimate humanitarian and development work.
(10 March 2026)

04/03/2026

BREAKING: The Tacloban RTC Branch 45 has dismissed the terrorism financing case against humanitarian worker and Executive Director of Leyte Center for Development, Jazmin Jerusalem, on February 27.

In her ruling, Judge Georgina Uy Perez dismissed the case “for lack of the required publication of the foreign and supranational designation relied upon in charging the accused, which constitutes a clear violation of the constitutional guarantee of due process.”

This means there was a clear violation of the accused’s right to due process due to the absence of the required publication of the designation used as basis for the charge.|Jazmin Bonifacio

02/03/2026