As detained journalist prepares to testify, RSF urges Philippines to drop charges vs journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio
November 8, 2024

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called for the Philippine government to drop charges against detained journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio, who is set to testify in court on Nov. 11.

This will be Cumpio’s first time testifying in court after spending four years in detention on what the organization describes as “trumped-up” allegations. 

“Filipino journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio, who reported on abuses committed by the military, is obviously targeted by a strategy that seeks to deter all Filipino journalists from investigating taboo topics,” said Cédric Alviani, RSF’s Asia-Pacific Bureau Director.

Alviani urged the country’s Department of Justice “to drop all charges against her without delay” as Cumpio’s landmark trial for alleged ‘terrorism’ approaches.

Cumpio, an investigative journalist and director of Eastern Vista—a news outlet associated with Altermidya, a network committed to amplifying marginalized voices—was arrested in February 2020. 

She faces charges of “financing of terrorism” which, if upheld, could result in a 40-year prison sentence. Meanwhile, her original case of illegal possession of firearms and explosives is punishable by lifetime imprisonment.

The arrest, carried out in Frenchie Mae’s rented staff house, recovered firearms and explosives, as what military authorities claimed. Human rights groups, however, allege that these items were planted to implicate her in criminal activity and silence her reporting.

As a journalist in the Eastern Visayas region, Cumpio was known for her investigative work on abuses committed by military and police forces. She hosted a program on Aksyon Radyo-Tacloban DYVL, where she highlighted issues that often placed her in the crosshairs of government and military scrutiny. 

Her arrest has since shown the dangers of “red-tagging” in the country. Journalists who are labeled “subversive” or even “terrorist” for covering sensitive topics eventually face arrest or harm.

RSF, along with other press freedom advocates, argue that Cumpio’s case reflects a broader climate of intimidation aimed at curbing independent reporting in the Philippines. 

Since 1986, 204 journalists have been murdered in the country, making it one of the most dangerous places in the world for the press. The Philippines ranks 134th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2024 World Press Freedom Index.

Read more

COCOPEA drops NTF-ELCAC membership amid student-led pushback

COCOPEA drops NTF-ELCAC membership amid student-led pushback

The Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA) has formally withdrawn from the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), citing the need to uphold academic freedom. In a statement issued on Feb. 2, COCOPEA announced...

Mataas na singil, palpak na serbisyo ng Prime Water

Mataas na singil, palpak na serbisyo ng Prime Water

Ni CHARLES EDMON PEREZ at YZABELLE JASMINE LIWAGPinoy Weekly Madalas sa umaga ay wala kaming tubig, magbabalik lamang ang tubig sa gabi, ngunit hindi pa rin malakas ang daloy kahit ganon.” Ito ang karanasan ni Roi Detera, 22, residente ng San Jose del Monte, Bulacan...

Calls to impeach Sara Duterte intensify as May polls near

Calls to impeach Sara Duterte intensify as May polls near

By JIAN ZHARESE JOEIS F. SANZBulatlat.com MANILA — Three months before the 2025 midterm election, the demands of different sectors for government accountability and the end to impunity were heard at the Liwasang Bonifacio during the protest on January 31 against...

Want to stay updated?

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This