Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called for the Philippine government to drop charges against detained journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio, who is set to appear 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” and “illegal possession of firearms,” which, if upheld, could result in a 40-year prison sentence.
The arrest, carried out in her Tacloban home, involved what military authorities claimed were the discovery of a gun and grenade.
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 become emblematic of the “red-tagging” practice in the Philippines, in which journalists are labeled “subversive” or even “terrorist” for covering sensitive topics.
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 democracy was restored in 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.
