The lawyers of Frenchie Mae and Marielle Domequil will appeal the conviction today at the Court of Appeals. The two were convicted wrongfully fo terrorism financing early this year.
We maintain that the ruling of the Tacloban Regional Trial Court, issued by Judge Georgina Uy-Perez, should be overturned.
Altermidya questions the prosecution’s case, which leaned heavily on the testimonies of “fake surrenderees”, acting under Philippine Army’s protection. The court record, as raised by the defense and press freedom advocates, shows serious doubts about the credibility and reliability of these witnesses—especially the lack of consistency across their accounts and the absence of documentary evidence.
Meanwhile, Frenchie Mae Cumpio’s defense presented emails and social media posts dated March 27–29, 2019, which directly contradict the timeline claimed by military witnesses. The witnesses insist that on March 29, when Cumpio was allegedly in Catbalogan, Samar, Frenchie supposedly received and then “made available” cash amounting to P100,000 meant to support the NPA.
We point to the related civil forfeiture case, where AMLC lawyer Eraño Dumale testified that aside from affidavits of specific witnesses, there were no documents showing that P500,000 would be used for terrorism financing. If “terrorism financing” cannot be anchored to concrete proof in that proceeding, it becomes even more urgent to scrutinize the criminal conviction.
We underscore the statement of the Court of Appeals in October 2025 that, after reviewing the evidence, there is a “dearth of reason to believe” that the respondents-appellants were or are connected to the CPP-NPA. This acknowledgment itself points to the core issue: the evidence does not sufficiently justify the conclusion reached.
We reject any attempt to treat unverified allegations as facts. It is the appellate court’s opportunity to examine the inconsistencies and evidentiary gaps cited in the case, and to ensure justice is not reduced to a rubber stamp.
Altermidya calls for the immediate correction of this injustice and the unconditional release of Frenchie Mae Cumpio and Marielle Domequil.
