16 Embassies Troubled by Guilty Verdict for Frenchie Mae Cumpio

Terrorism financing or red-tagging? 

This is how various groups of journalists, foreign embassies, and human rights advocates from within and outside the country reacted to the guilty verdict against 27-year-old Frenchie Mae Cumpio. 

Cumpio, a journalist and radio broadcaster in Tacloban City, was found guilty of “terrorism financing.” Convicted alongside her was her former roommate, Marielle Domequil. Frenchie Mae is the first journalist to be convicted of “terrorism financing” under the controversial provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020. Marielle, meanwhile, is the first church worker to be convicted under the same Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020. Marielle is a member of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines. Both were sentenced to 12 to 18 years in prison. 

The decision was read to Cumpio and Domequil at the Tacloban Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 45 on January 22, 2026. Part of the published decision, which can be read on the Department of Justice website, states: 

“In a decision penned by Presiding Judge Georgina S. Uy-Perez, the court found Frenchie Mae Cumpio and Marielle Domequil guilty of violating Section 8(ii) of Republic Act No. 10168, otherwise known as the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012, for making available funds or properties to the CPP-NPA in Catbalogan City, Samar.” 

The decision also named the members of the prosecutors’ panel. They are as follows: OIC-City Prosecutor Julius P. Babalcon (lead), Assistant City Prosecutor Regina Paredes-Elizarde, Assistant City Prosecutor Geraldine Arica, and Senior Assistant Provincial Prosecutor Dylan Enage, who was later appointed as Municipal Trial Court Judge of Pastrana, Leyte. 

Cumpio and Domequil were acquitted in separate cases involving illegal possession of firearms and explosives. 

Before the verdict was read, Cumpio had already been detained for six years since her arrest in February 2020. At that time, Cumpio was the executive director of the Eastern Vista news website and a radio news anchor at Aksyon Radyo-Tacloban DYVL. She was also the director of Altermidya, or the People’s Alternative Media Network, a group of independent and progressive media outfits in the Philippines that aims to bring to light the stories and issues of marginalized sectors. In simple terms, marginalized sectors are citizens who have no voice in society. Cumpio’s reporting at the time focused on alleged police and military abuses and community welfare issues in Eastern Visayas. 

Cumpio was arrested on February 7, 2020, along with four other human rights activists—dubbed the “Tacloban 5”—during a series of police raids carried out in Tacloban City. She was initially charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives due to an alleged firearm and grenade found on her bed. 

Several years later, the charge of terrorism financing was added, according to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). Her supporters say, Cumpio is a victim of red-tagging. 

Part of the IFJ report states: “Cumpio and her colleagues were subject to ‘red-tagging’, where journalists, activists, union leaders, and human rights defenders are labelled as connected to armed communist insurgent groups, often accompanied by threats, harassment, or attacks.” 

Sixteen countries expressed concern over the verdict against Cumpio. These are: Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. They have embassies in the Philippines and are members of the Media Freedom Coalition (MFC), a group established in 2019 by embassies of various countries. The MFC is a global diplomatic network of 51 countries that has pledged to defend media freedom against threats. 

The MFC statement was posted on the Instagram account of the German Consulate and Embassy. The caption of the post read: “Members of the MFC Local Embassy Network in the Philippines express their concern [regarding] the recent developments on the case of Frenchie Mae Cumpio and Marielle Domequil.” 

Attached to the post was the full statement of the embassy network in the Philippines.  

Here is the full statement: “Today marks the fifth birthday that Frenchie Mae Cumpio has spent in detention, a stark reminder of the challenges faced by journalists in the pursuit of their vital work. 

“We, the undersigned members of the Media Freedom Coalition Embassy Network in the Philippines, reaffirm our commitment to the protection of press freedom and the rights of journalists worldwide. 

“We urge all stakeholders to ensure that journalists can carry out their work without fear of persecution or undue interference. Freedom of expression and the ability to report independently are essential pillars of democracy and must be safeguarded.” 

The hashtag #PressFreedom was used. 

There were also groups of journalists in and outside the country, as well as human rights advocates, who condemned the verdict against Cumpio. For a long time, these local and foreign groups have been active in supporting Cumpio. They had earlier denounced her arrest, saying it was a suppression of freedom of expression. 

Among them is Reporters Without Borders (RSF), an international, non-profit organization based in Paris, France, that advocates for journalists and “exposes abuses and campaigns for media independence worldwide.” 

In her statement, Aleksandra Bielakowska, RSF Asia-Pacific Bureau advocacy manager, said she was shocked by the verdict against Cumpio. 

According to Bielakowska, the results of RSF’s investigation and the evidence presented in court by Cumpio’s lawyers “clearly show how fabricated this case has been from the very beginning.” 

Bielakowska stressed: 
“Frenchie Mae Cumpio’s conviction represents a devastating failure on the part of the Philippine justice system and the authorities’ blatant disregard for press freedom. 

“The Philippines should serve as an international example of protecting media freedom — not a perpetrator that red-tags, prosecutes, and imprisons journalists simply for doing their work.” 

She again called on President Bongbong Marcos to take action for Cumpio’s release. 

Bielakowska said, “Without his decisive action, there will be no meaningful difference from previous administrations that showed no regard for upholding a free press.” 

Gabriela Party-list Representative Sarah Elago was also among those who condemned the verdict against Cumpio. 

Part of her statement read: 
“We are outraged by this clear injustice, especially in light of overwhelming evidence that the cases against Frenchie Mae and the rest of the Tacloban 5 were manufactured. 

“This decision exposes how the law continues to be weaponized to persecute journalists and activists who dare to speak truth to power. 

“Like many women journalists and human rights defenders, Frenchie Mae and Marielle have faced harassment, prolonged detention, and relentless red-tagging meant to break their resolve and deter others from organizing, reporting, and holding power to account.” 

Bi Lih Yi, Asia Program Coordinator of the Committee to Protect Journalists, also objected to the verdict against Cumpio. 

“This decision sets a precedent as Frenchie Mae is the first journalist in the world to be convicted of financing terrorism,” Bi Lih Yi said in a report by Inquirer.net. 

“I think the decision sends a chilling effect not only among journalists in the Philippines but also worldwide.  It has far-reaching implications because of the trend of using terrorism charges to go after journalists in autocratic countries like Russia and Myanmar, using such absurd and ridiculous charges to target journalists.” 

Meanwhile, the Police Regional Office 8 (PRO-8) released its reaction to the court’s decision. PRO-8 was the office that filed the cases against the Tacloban 5. 

Part of its statement posted on Facebook read: 
“PRO 8 underscores the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law reflected in this outcome. The conviction for terrorism financing highlights the collaborative efforts of the community and/or stakeholders and the government’s firm commitment to combating terrorism and cutting off financial support to any terrorist activities.” 

Following these developments, the lawyers of Cumpio and Domequil—Atty. Julianne Agpalo and Atty. Norberto Robel Jr.—plan to file a motion for reconsideration and apply for bail. 

According to Atty. Agpalo, since the conviction of Cumpio and Domequil is not punishable by death, reclusion perpetua, or life imprisonment, admission to bail is discretionary, according to ABS-CBN News. 

Atty. Robel said in an interview: 
“We still stand in our position that they are innocent. In fact, we will avail of all the legal remedies available and we will discuss this as a legal team so that they will be released as soon as possible.” 

Aside from the prison sentence of 12 to 18 years, both were also fined P500,000 each. 

From the Tacloban City Jail, the transfer of Cumpio and Domequil to the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City was also ordered. 

The charge of “terrorism financing” stemmed from provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, which was signed by former President Rodrigo Duterte on July 3, 2020, and took effect on July 18, 2020. 

This law is controversial. 

As early as June 5, 2020, in an article published on the Human Rights Watch website, Human Rights Watch deputy director Phil Robertson described the law passed in the Philippines as a “human rights disaster in the making.” 

“The law will open the door to arbitrary arrests and long prison sentences for people or representatives of organizations that have displeased the president,” Robertson added. 

The article stated that the “overbroad definition of terrorism” under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 is alarming. 

In particular, it cited the provision that considers it an act of terrorism to encourage others “by means of speeches, proclamations, writings, emblems, banners or other representations tending to the same end.” 

The problem, according to the same Human Rights Watch article, is that the definition of what constitutes “incitement” is unclear. 

This, it said, poses a major threat to the freedom of speech and expression of the media. 

This concern is heightened by the fact that the law provides for the creation of the Anti-Terrorism Council, a “special body” composed of Cabinet officials appointed by the President and granted the authority to implement the law. 

Under the law, any person suspected of committing, attempting to commit, or supporting acts of terrorism may be arrested without a warrant and detained even without a formal charge. 

This story originally appeared on PEP.ph.

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