Court rejects govt petition

A COURT has dismissed a government petition to declare the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed guerrilla wing as a terrorist organisation in a decision that officials vowed to appeal but was welcomed by activists who have long rejected the labelling of rebels as terrorists.

Manila regional trial court Judge Marlo Magdoza-Malagar’s ruling, signed on Wednesday, is a legal victory for activists and government critics and a setback for security officials, who have long accused left-wing organisations of covertly serving as legal fronts for the Maoist guerrillas.