The case was filed by the Justice Department on August 15 with a trial court in Iligan City in Mindanao. It accuses them of financing the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New People's Army (NPA), which is branded a terrorist organisation by the Philippine government.

The charges against the nuns, whose number and identities remain undisclosed, and the others come days after the state-run Commission on the Filipino Language banned five textbooks for allegedly encouraging terrorism.

"The anti-terrorism law defines and penalises terrorism financing as giving financial aid such as donations, which also include the transfer of any property or funds, or financial services and other related services, to an individual or group designated as a terrorist by the government," Justice Department lawyer Mico Clavano told reporters on August 15.

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