A Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Tacloban City on Thursday convicted journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio and lay worker Marielle Domequil in their terrorism financing case, but acquitted them of charges related to illegal possession of firearms and explosives.
Cumpio, 26, is the first Filipina journalist to be prosecuted under the terror financing laws, which defense lawyer Julianne Agpalo said have become the government’s “weapon of choice” for silencing dissent.
Cumpio and her former roommate, Domequil, broke down in tears and hugged each other as the guilty verdict was read and they were sentenced to up to 18 years in prison by judge Georgina Uy Perez of the Tacloban regional court.
The duo, who were both acquitted on a lesser weapons charge, will be eligible for parole in about 12 and a half years.
Media organizations and journalism advocates assailed the conviction as a grave injustice, despite the respondents’ acquittal on charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives.
Beh Lih Yi, Asia-Pacific director of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), condemned the court’s decision as “absurd.”
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) cited the acquittal as a “partial victory,” but condemned the guilty verdict on the terrorism financing charge.
The University of the Philippines-Diliman College of Media and Communication Student Council (CMC SC) condemned the ruling, describing it as a “blatant attack on press freedom.”
Aleksandra Bielakowska, advocacy manager for Reporters Without Borders, said the verdict demonstrated a “blatant disregard for press freedom.”
Cumpio and Domequil were arrested on Feb. 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 group was known as “Tacloban 5.”
According to the defense lawyer, Legion and Cabaljao were out on bail, while proceedings involving Abinguna have yet to move forward.
In 2020, the military accused Cumpio and Domequil of being members of an “identified Communist Terrorist Group,” and while serving a search warrant at the Eastern Vista office, they discovered a firearm, a fragmentation grenade, and a Communist Party of the Philippines flag.
Prior to the arrest, Cumpio informed alternative news network Altermidya that unidentified men had been casing the Eastern Vista’s office. In 2021, while already detained, the military 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.
NUJP said Cumpio’s case has become “emblematic of the deteriorating state of press freedom in the Philippines,” warning that the ruling could further discourage journalists from reporting on sensitive issues such as alleged abuses by state forces.
Domequil’s sister, Kyle, also decried the court ruling. She appealed for freedom to be granted for both defendants. “The only verdict we will accept is the acquittal of Frenchie and Marielle,” Kyle was quoted saying, according to a social media post by nonprofit organization Karapatan. With AFP
Cumpio’s mother, Lala, said she visited her daughter in prison once each month, bringing her groceries, medication, and chicken from Jollibee.
Bringing in the gravy and soft drinks that accompanied the fastfood meals was prohibited by guards, she added.
She broke down in tears alongside her two sons outside the courthouse as the verdict was announced. With AFP
