TACLOBAN CITY — An award-winning humanitarian worker from Leyte is appealing to the national government to end what she calls the “persecution” of legitimate development organizations, following her indictment for terrorism financing—allegations she strongly denies and describes as “totally shocking.”

Jazmin Jerusalem, executive director of the Leyte Center for Development, Inc. (LCDe), is facing three counts of terrorism financing before the Regional Trial Court Branch 45 in Tacloban City, presided over by Judge Georgina Uy Perez. She posted bail amounting to P600,000 after arrest warrants were issued on February 12, 2025.

In an online interview, Jerusalem said the charges were based solely on the testimonies of four alleged rebel returnees—individuals she claims she has never met.

“One of the claims was that I handed money to the NPA [New People’s Army] on a day I wasn’t even in the country. I was in Thailand, en route to a conference in Hong Kong,” she said, adding that she had submitted her passport and boarding pass as proof.

The complaint was filed by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in November 2024.

According to Jerusalem, the accusations are unfounded and based on affidavits she describes as “full of lies.” She noted that some of the so-called evidence includes photos of LCDe’s office and their SEC registration documents—materials that, she says, merely prove the organization’s legal existence and transparency.

Under Jerusalem’s leadership, LCDe has operated in disaster-stricken communities across Eastern Visayas for 37 years. The organization, based in Palo, Leyte, has received multiple recognitions, including the National Gawad Kalasag Award from the Department of National Defense in 2007.

Jerusalem is also a member of several government bodies, including the Regional Development Council (RDC), the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), and the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC).

“It’s disheartening. The irony is that we’ve received awards from the government for more than 25 years. I’ve even received international recognitions—from the United Nations and CARE Germany,” she said.

She also made a public appeal to the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) and national authorities to lift the freeze order imposed on LCDe’s bank accounts on May 2 last year, and to dismiss the case accusing her of financing insurgent activities in the region—an accusation she firmly denies.

“Please be fair. AMLC, we’ve done nothing to deserve having our accounts arbitrarily frozen. Why not go after POGOs and the real money launderers?” she said. “Please stop persecuting legitimate NGOs like ours. In fact, we help the government address insurgency by offering livelihood options to poor communities.”

Despite the charges, Jerusalem said she remains hopeful that the case will be dismissed.
“I still believe in the integrity of our justice system. I pray that the court will clear my name and lift the freeze order. I just want to continue doing what I love most—serving the poor and the vulnerable.”

The next court hearing is scheduled for July 14 at 8:30 a.m.

(JOEY A. GABIETA)

TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Transportation (DOTr), and other government agencies are working to ease the impact of the 3-ton weight limit on the San Juanico Bridge.

DA Assistant Secretary for Logistics Daniel Alfonso Atayde met with DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon and Civil Defense Administrator Ariel F. Nepomuceno in Tacloban on Sunday, May 25, to coordinate efforts.

Among the proposed measures are prioritizing perishable and farm goods on roll-on/roll-off barges and LCT vessels; identifying and promoting alternative routes; coordinating with local governments and agencies; deploying more DA staff to ports; and monitoring the flow of essential goods.

The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) in Tacloban pledged support once needed infrastructure is in place. The interagency initiative seeks to ensure public safety while minimizing disruption to trade and transport.

(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

Part to combat insurgency problem

TACLOBAN CITY — The province of Northern Samar has become the first in Eastern Visayas to fully complete its 2024 Support to Barangay Development Program (SBDP) projects funded under the Unprogrammed Appropriations (UA), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Northern Samar Provincial Office announced.

The provincial office reported that all projects implemented in the municipalities of Gamay, Mapanas, and Lope De Vega under the FY 2024 SBDP-UA have reached full physical completion within just five months after the release of funds—a significant milestone in the delivery of development support to former conflict-affected communities.

Each local government unit (LGU) received P5 million per project, credited directly to their accounts by the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) through the Notice of Authority to Debit Account Issued (NADAI) on December 5, 2024.

The projects include, in Gamay, the opening and concreting of roads in Barangays Anito, Cade-an, Guibuangan, and Malidong; Lope De Vega, provision of renewable energy-based electrification for Barangay Lower Caynaga; and Mapanas, concreting of a farm-to-market road in Barangay San Jose.

The DILG Provincial Office confirmed that Certificates of Completion (COCs) have already been issued for the finished projects and will be submitted to the regional and national offices for validation and audit.

The projects form part of the SBDP, the flagship initiative of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), which aims to bring basic infrastructure and development programs to communities formerly influenced by insurgency.

Earlier in 2024, Northern Samar received an initial P2.5 million per project for 167 barangays, also under the SBDP. These were followed by the P5-million UA releases in December for another set of 167 projects, totaling 334 SBDP sub-projects implemented across the province this year.

According to DILG Northern Samar Provincial Director Atty. Danilo Laguitan, LGUs in Gamay and Mapanas completed both sets of projects—the P2.5 million and P5 million tranches—ahead of schedule.

Lope De Vega has one remaining project under the P2.5M batch, currently at 61–90% physical completion.

Remarkably, LGU-Gamay also became the first municipality in Northern Samar to complete its liquidation process, returning unspent balances to the national government via the Bureau of the Treasury—demonstrating exemplary compliance with fiscal responsibility standards.

The DILG Northern Samar office reaffirmed its commitment to continue supporting LGUs in project implementation and evaluation, with a focus on sustainability, transparency, and effective public service delivery.

(JOEY A. GABIETA)