A Tacloban court has convicted community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio and lay worker Mariel Domequil of terror financing after six years in preventive detention. The ruling, carrying sentences of 12 to 18 years, has drawn sharp criticism from press freedom advocates as an assault on journalism and human rights. Groups warn it exemplifies the misuse of anti-terrorism laws against government critics.
On January 22, 2026, the Regional Trial Court Branch 45 in Tacloban City, presided over by Judge Georgina Uy-Perez, convicted 26-year-old Frenchie Mae Cumpio and 28-year-old Mariel Domequil of violating Section 8(ii) of Republic Act No. 10168, the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012. They received indeterminate sentences ranging from 12 years, 5 months, and 11 days to 18 years, 8 months, and 1 day, plus a P500,000 fine each.
Relying on testimonies from former rebels, the court found that the pair directly provided cash, arms, ammunition, and fabric for clothing to New People's Army (NPA) members, a designated terrorist group, in March 2019 in Catbalogan City, Samar. Though acquitted of illegal possession of firearms and explosives due to insufficient evidence and witness inconsistencies, they remain detained since their February 7, 2020 arrest as part of the 'Tacloban 5'.
The raid seized P557,360, which a court initially ordered forfeited but the Court of Appeals reversed in 2025, ruling the pair were not designated terrorists. The National Union of People's Lawyers (NUPL) plans a motion for reconsideration and appeal, calling the decision 'disturbing' for weaponizing anti-terrorism laws against legitimate activities like journalism and community aid.
Cumpio, executive director of alternative media group Eastern Vista and a radio broadcaster covering community issues, has been accused of 'red-tagging' by supporters. Her mother, Lala, wept outside the court, insisting her daughter is no terrorist. Domequil's sister, Kyle, said the conviction is unfair.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemned the ruling as 'absurd,' deeming President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s press freedom pledges empty. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) labeled it an injustice and blatant disregard for press freedom, with UN special rapporteur Irene Khan calling it a 'travesty of justice.' Media and human rights groups demand their release as cases proceed.
