CAGAYAN DE ORO – Community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio from Tacloban City has been facing multiple charges, keeping her behind bars for almost six years now. Media and rights groups, including Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression Irene Khan, have been pressing the Philippine government for her immediate release.

Since her arrest on February 7, 2020, technically, a total of seven charges—six criminal cases and one civil case—had been filed against Cumpio, executive director of alternative news outlet Eastern Vista. 

These included two counts of illegal possession of firearms and explosives, terrorism financing, two counts of murder, and attempted murder. There was also a civil forfeiture case filed that aimed to forfeit the over P500,000 (US$8,477) of cash seized from the rented house of Cumpio and her co-accused, church lay worker Marielle Domequil, when the police implemented a search.

In the past weeks, two significant legal victories were secured. The Court of Appeals (CA) reversed on October 29 the decision of the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 18 that granted the civil forfeiture petition filed by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC). 

Meanwhile, on November 6, the Regional Trial Court Branch 21 in Laoang, Northern Samar, granted the motion to quash the murder charges filed against Cumpio after the court found the dissimilarity between the name of the detained individual and the person’s name on the complaint.

After these recent developments, Cumpio’s charges dropped to two— two counts of illegal possession of firearms and explosives, which were jointly heard, and terrorism financing. If she is acquitted of these cases, she can be released from detention, said lawyer Julianne Agpalo of the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL).

“Since the information in Laoang was quashed, there would be no ground to hold Frenchie [if she’s acquitted for her remaining charges],” Agpalo told Bulatlat in mixed Filipino and English.

The Regional Trial Court Branch 45 in Tacloban City has already set the promulgation dates for these remaining charges, which are on January 22 and February 9, 2026, respectively.

Is there a big chance for her acquittal?

The NUPL lawyer admitted that it would be difficult to say if Cumpio and Domequil have a huge chance for acquittal. However, she said the defense has a compelling argument regarding the legality of the terrorism financing charge. 

Agpalo was referring to the basis used by the prosecution in designating the Communist Party of the Philippines and New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) as terrorist organizations amid the allegation that Cumpio and Domequil financed the armed group in 2019. The prosecution’s basis, she said, was the adoption of the designation made by other countries. But this, including the domestic designation, was struck down by the Supreme Court.

Out of the three modes of designation under the implementing rules and regulations of the controversial Anti-Terrorism Act, the High Court ruled in a decision that only the first mode (Automatic Adoption of the United Nations Security Council Consolidated List) passed the strict scrutiny test.

This SC decision was also cited in Cumpio’s civil forfeiture case.

Moreover, inconsistent accounts and undocumented claims of the so-called “rebel returnees,” whom Cumpio didn’t personally know, could also be a weak argument. Agpalo recalled a testimony from a sworn statement that one of the rebel returnees who served as a witness stated that she began seeing Cumpio in 2008. The accused was still nine years old at that time. 

Press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) found out in an investigation that one of these rebel returnees served as a witness in similar cases after 17 of the criminal charges filed against her were dismissed, while another witness is under military protection.

Agpalo also claimed that the application of the search warrant implemented during the February 2020 raid was grounded on the alleged fabricated testimonies, citing the prioritization of surveillance of Cumpio and Domequil, to name a few, over the arrest of CPP top leaders Benito and Wilma Tiamzon who were allegedly seen together with the accused. 

Revealing pattern

The NUPL viewed the Anti-Terrorism Act and the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act as laws “to punish those who stand with [the people],” recounting many cases of human rights workers who had been slapped with these cases to silence them.

Another community journalist, Deo Montesclaros, also subpoenaed over a financing terrorism complaint, accusing him of being a member of the Regional White Area Committee of the CPP gathering supplies and cash for the NPA.

Apart from activists and human rights defenders, members of humanitarian organizations were also not safe from this weaponizing of laws. These included the officials and workers of Community Empowerment Resource Network, Inc. (CERNET), and Paghida-et sa Kauswagan Development Group (PDG), including the freezing of bank accounts of Leyte Center for Development Inc. and Citizens’ Disaster Response Center (CDRC).

Agpalo observed that the Anti-Money Laundering Council is quick to freeze the bank accounts of these non-government organizations that have limited resources, “but they are very slow to act if it involves billions of pesos,” referring to POGO and anomalous flood control projects.

She said this pattern of harassment might have something to do with the Philippine government’s effort to remove the country from the greylist of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an intergovernmental body that combats money laundering and terrorism financing. The country was removed from the list in February this year.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) welcomed the two positive developments secured by Cumpio’s camp. But they remain angered by the fact that Cumpio and her co-accused have been in jail for over half a decade now.

“These court victories are a testament to the courage and steadfastness of Frenchie and Marielle, their lawyers, and the community that supports them in the face of dubious cases based on questionable testimony,” NUJP said in a statement.

The group vowed to continue its call until Cumpio is released from prison. (RVO)