BACOLOD CITY—The last of five development workers accused of terrorism financing has surrendered to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Negros Occidental on June 24.
Felipe Gelle, accompanied by local media, surfaced months after the others were arrested in January.
Gelle and four others—Clarissa Ramos, Levy Bantayan, Dharyl Albanez, and Perla Avillar—were all affiliated with the Paghidaet sa Kauswagan Development Group (PDG), an NGO working with farmers and indigenous communities in southern Negros. The military accused them of violating the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act.
PDG’s advocacy work had drawn suspicion, especially after its executive director, lawyer Ben Ramos, was gunned down years ago under mysterious circumstances. The others were arrested by virtue of a warrant from RTC Branch 31, Iloilo City, on January 15.
