Court won’t let Philippines declare Communists as terrorists

By JIM GOMEZ
Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Philippine court has dismissed a government petition to declare the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed guerrilla wing as a terrorist organization. Officials vowed to appeal the decision, which was welcomed by activists who have long rejected government labeling of rebels as terrorists. The ruling by the Manila regional trial court is a legal victory for activists and government critics and a setback for security officials, who have long accused left-wing organizations of covertly serving as legal fronts for armed communist guerrillas. The court asked the government to fight the communist insurgency, one of Asia’s longest-raging, with “respect for the right to dissent, to due process and to the rule of law.”