URDANETA CITY, Pangasinan — A Regional Trial Court has acquitted indigenous rights advocate Sarah Abelon Alikes of terrorism financing charges, ruling that the prosecution failed to present sufficient evidence to support the case.

In a resolution dated 23 June 2026, and received on 26 July, Branch 73 Presiding Judge Crisma Vismanos-Nabuagranted Alikes' demurrer to evidence filed through her counsel, Atty. King Anthony Montreal.

The court acquitted Alikes of violating Section 8(ii) of Republic Act No. 10168, or the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012.

According to the ruling, prosecutors failed to establish beyond reasonable doubt that Alikes knowingly provided funds, property, services or other forms of support for terrorist activities.

The court found no evidence of a definite transfer of funds, conscious provision of material support or the required criminal intent. It also ruled that testimony presented by police witnesses was largely derivative and not based on personal knowledge of material facts.

The case stemmed from allegations filed by police investigators that led to criminal proceedings in Pangasinan.

In June 2023, the Anti-Terrorism Council designated Alikes and three other leaders of the Cordillera Peoples Alliance as terrorist individuals under Resolution No. 41, resulting in the freezing of their personal bank accounts and organizational assets.

Alikes and her co-petitioners later challenged the designation and the constitutionality of the Anti-Terrorism Act before a Baguio court, which denied their petition in April 2026. The case has since been elevated on appeal.

Prior to the terrorism financing case, Alikes also faced rebellion charges in Abra alongside other Cordillera activists. Those charges were dismissed in 2023 after the court granted a motion to quash.

Human rights organizations and indigenous groups have maintained that the successive cases filed against Alikes formed part of a broader campaign of red-tagging and judicial harassment targeting indigenous rights advocates in the Cordillera region.