A regional court in Tacloban sentenced journalist Frenchie Cumpio and former roommate Marielle Domequil to prison terms of 12 to 18 years after finding them guilty of terror financing, a ruling that has drawn sharp condemnation from press freedom and human rights groups. Both defendants were also acquitted on a lesser weapons charge.
Cumpio, 26, had already spent nearly six years in a provincial prison before the verdict. According to the supplied evidence, she and Domequil broke down in tears and hugged each other as the ruling was read. Their lawyer said an appeal would be filed and noted that a legal remedy and a pending bail application remained available.
The case has become emblematic of the dispute over how the Philippine state handles critics. Cumpio and her supporters say she is the victim of red-tagging, a practice in which critics are linked to the communist insurgency and then treated as security threats. A UN special rapporteur had previously said the charges appeared to be retaliatory, and rights groups had been warning about the slow pace of the proceedings for months.
The ruling also matters because it appears to be the first time a journalist has been charged with financing terrorism in the Philippines, according to the evidence. That is why reactions were so forceful. The Committee to Protect Journalists called the verdict absurd and said it showed the emptiness of official promises to defend press freedom. Reporters Without Borders said the decision showed a blatant disregard for media freedom.
The case began in February 2020, when Cumpio and Domequil were arrested on weapons charges after authorities said they possessed a handgun and a grenade. More than a year later, the terror-financing charge was added, carrying a possible 40-year sentence. The long timeline, repeated delays and the final prison terms are part of what drew attention from the Clooney Foundation for Justice and more than 250 journalists and media groups.
Outside the courthouse, supporters were held back by riot police. Cumpio's mother, who visited her daughter monthly in prison, told AFP she worried about when her child would come home. The personal cost of the case has therefore been public as well as legal.
The verdict puts the Marcos administration back under scrutiny over how it balances national security law and press freedom. For now, the only certainty is that Cumpio and Domequil face years in prison unless an appeal changes the outcome. The larger question is whether this case becomes a warning to other reporters who cover politically sensitive subjects.
