by Miriam G. Desacada
Tacloban City–” To the people of Eastern Visayas and even those outside of the region, it is with a heavy heart to share to you this news: the government closes Leyte Center for Development, Inc. (LCDe), and we had to stop our operations, after 36 years,” announced Jazmin Aguisanda-Jerusalem, its executive director during a press-con Friday morning.
LSDe started as a civil society group (CSO) in April 1988 and, exactly 36 years after, our various services extended to impoverished communities in Eastern Visayas had to stop, the CSO top official told the local media.
When asked for any reason why LSDe must close, Jerusalem said her organization doesn’t exactly know, except that they were accused of being into financing terrorism in the region.
Jerusalem certainly denied this, but she continued that, in accordance with the charges, the LCDe fund account was frozen, her personal bank account and those of her staffs or personnel. “The AMLC Anti-Money Laundering Council, via TF Resolution 89 on May 2 this year, froze all of their personal accounts, and that of the organization,” she said.
Jerusalem said LCDe could no longer move as usual because even the accounts of their suppliers of food, and materials for typhoon-damaged houses, among others were all frozen, also for violation of the same law.
“Some suppliers, those from whom we bought food, and plywood sheets distributed to Odette-damaged houses in Southern Leyte, called us that their accounts were frozen as well,” she said, adding that any programs or services LCDe is going to implement will no longer prosper.
She narrated that last March, “we bought folding beds, and cooking pots or cauldron as our gifts for the LGUs of Taft and Can-avid in Eastern Samar for them to be prepared in their evacuation centers. We donated these to them,” she said.
Also, “we financed the training on camp management to prepare the LGUs for disasters. One service supplier in Ormoc City where we had our vehicle repaired, called us up that its account was also frozen,” she said, expounding that every establishment that has business with LCDe will have their respective accounts frozen.
“We are in a difficult situation now, they are starving us. This is the only work we are familiar with, helping the community, but now where do we get our food?” Jerusalem wondered, as she recited a litany of their services extended to poor communities in the region for more than three decades.
Due to the frozen accounts, Jerusalem said that LCDe’s ongoing community health projects for 17 barangays in the towns of Arteche and Jipapad in Eastern Samar had to be stopped.
She mentioned also some projects in the immediate past that LCDe had tried to accomplish but had to be stopped, such as:
1) distribution of glucose meters, blood pressure kits, and other health equipment for barangay health workers, a project that was supposed to run until October next year;
2) a livelihood project in Northern Samar that will provide motorboats and fishing nets to fisherfolk there; and
3) the launching this June of an extensive drought response mission to help communities severely affected by the El Niño.
The LCDe has been distinguished for its disaster response, such as during the devastation of typhoon Yolanda in 2013. It has been a recipient of awards from the government itself, thru its agencies, such as the National Anti-Poverty Commission in 2023, the Department of National Defense in 2006, as well as from international organizations.
In 2021, Jerusalem herself was the recipient of the United Nations Women’s International Network on Disaster Risk Reduction (WIN DRR) leadership award for Asia-Pacific.
According to the IBON Foundation statement, the LCDe, together with two other CSOs in other regions had been “falsely accused of ‘terrorist financing’ charges.”
However, national government sources said that, from surveillances and monitoring conducted, it was found out that LCDe had been funneling some funds to anti-government groups of terrorists.
Jerusalem was visibly disappointed of the government’s action against LCDe. “There was no due process, we were just red tagged right away and immediately froze our accounts and of our suppliers,” she lamented.
She, however, believe in the country’s justice system that’s why she and LCDe are appealing to the government for reconsideration so that they “will be able to continue services for vulnerable barangays, complement government efforts in addressing poverty and building resilient communities.”
At this time, while they are preparing a sort of legal remedy on their fate, LCDe expressed hope that their accounts be unfreezed and allow them to continue serving the poor communities in Leyte and Samar. —-Miriam G. Desacada