The Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 45 in Tacloban City, Leyte on Thursday convicted journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio and humanitarian worker Marielle Domequil in their terrorism financing case, but acquitted them of charges related to illegal possession of firearms and explosives.
Cumpio and Domequil were arrested on February 7, 2020 at the office of alternative news outlet Eastern Vista in Tacloban City, along with rights advocates Alexander Philip Abinguna, Mira Legion, and Marissa Cabaljao. The five are collectively known as the “Tacloban 5.”
According to their legal counsel, Legion and Cabaljao are currently out on bail, while proceedings involving Abinguna have yet to move forward. As of now, only Cumpio and Domequil have received a court judgment on their cases.
According to their legal counsel, Legion and Cabaljao are out on bail, while Abinguna’s side of the cases has yet to progress. At present, only Cumpio and Domequil received judgment on their cases.
In 2020, authorities accused Cumpio and Domequil of being members of an “identified Communist Terrorist Group,” and upon serving a search warrant at the Eastern Vista office, claimed that they discovered a firearm, a fragmentation grenade, and a Communist Party of the Philippines flag there.
Days before the arrest, Cumpio informed alternative news network Altermidya that unidentified men had been patrolling Eastern Vista’s office. In 2021, while already detained, authorities filed a terrorism financing complaint against the Tacloban 5.
Cumpio was Eastern Vista’s executive director, and for most of her career, she was known for covering issues such as the killing of farmers and land-grabbing in Leyte’s neighboring provinces.
Domequil was a member of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines and has on many occasions advocated for the rights of farmers and peasant workers in Eastern Visayas.
