Written for The Diplomat
Philippine authorities celebrated the country’s removal last week from the money-laundering “grey list” of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), but some civil society groups described it as a “Pyrrhic victory” because of the filing of trumped-up terrorism financing cases against activists and community-based organizations.
It remains to be seen whether the FATF decision will actually lead to the upgrading of the country’s financial status or if the government will reconsider the terrorism financing cases it filed against development workers and people’s organizations. It is a timely reminder that standards imposed by global institutions could have broad consequences, and sometimes governments can wield these policies to roll out a different agenda with serious ramifications on the people’s civil liberties and well-being.
Peace Talks Face Several Hurdles
Written for The Diplomat
Despite the recently announced breakthrough in the peace process involving the government of Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and the communist-led National Democratic Front (NDF), there remain several obstacles that could derail the possible resumption of negotiations in 2024.
When the NDF announced the signing of a joint statement with the Marcos government, it mentioned the detention of its consultants and its designation as a terrorist group. Although it didn’t list the resolution of these issues as a precondition for talks, NDF leaders could demand their inclusion in the agenda of the informal reopening of the talks.
An official of the Marcos government said that the terrorist tag of the NDF can only be lifted once a final peace agreement is signed, but this raises the question as to why the government is talking peace with a group it considers terrorists.
The year started without any expectation that there would be a major update in the peace process but the Marcos government and the NDF were able to present a joint statement that offered hope and opened the prospects of peace even if serious obstacles remain in place. Can they deliver another political surprise in 2024 amid the renewed furor of powerful peace spoilers?