The Filipino Freelance Journalists’ Guild (FFJ) strongly condemns the guilty verdict handed down on January 22, 2026, by Judge Georgina Perez of Branch 45 of the Regional Trial Court in Tacloban City, convicting community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio in the case of alleged terrorism financing.
This decision is a blatant injustice. It disregards the most basic principles of due process and further legitimizes the use of the courts to persecute journalists and human rights defenders.
Frenchie Mae has been falsely charged, deliberately prosecuted, and detained for almost six years based on allegations that have long been questioned for their credibility. Since her arrest in February 2020, she has been deprived of her liberty, separated from her loved ones, and forced to endure years of punishment for crimes she did not commit.
At the same time, FFJ welcomes the acquittal of Frenchie Mae and her co-accused in the illegal possession of firearms and explosives case. This acquittal is not a minor detail, it is a clear affirmation that key elements of the case built against her were baseless and fabricated. It exposes the utter lack of sense in securing a guilty verdict for terrorism financing while the court itself found no basis to convict her for the charges that were used to justify her arrest and prolonged detention.
Frenchie Mae’s case has always been emblematic of how counter-terror and criminal laws can be stretched and weaponized to target those who speak truth to power. It mirrors the long-running pattern of harassment, intimidation, red-tagging, and legal persecution against journalists, especially community and freelance journalists who work outside corporate newsrooms and report from the regions.
Frenchie Mae’s journalism was never a crime—it was public service. This conviction sends a chilling signal that reporting on abuses and injustice can be met with prosecution and imprisonment. It is a direct attack on press freedom, human rights, and the people’s right to know.
FFJ stands with Frenchie Mae Cumpio, her family, her legal team, and the broad coalition of journalists, press freedom advocates, and human rights organizations continuing to fight for her freedom and vindication. We call for the immediate reversal of this unjust conviction through all available legal remedies, and we demand Frenchie Mae’s release.
We urge the Marcos administration and the Philippine justice system to stop the persecution of journalists and human rights defenders. Justice delayed is justice denied and in Frenchie Mae’s case, the delay has already cost nearly six years of her life.
Acquit and free Frenchie Mae Cumpio now.
#FreeFrenchieMaeCumpio
Reference:
FFJ Directorate
ffjguild@gmail.com
