Reporters Without Borders (RSF), alongside the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Free Press Unlimited (FPU), has nominated detained Filipino journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio for the 2026 UNESCO Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, honouring her extraordinary courage in exposing human rights abuses despite six years of imprisonment.
Cumpio, former executive director of Eastern Vista and radio host for Aksyon Radyo Tacloban (DYVL), was arrested in February 2020 after a police and military raid.
Though acquitted of “illegal possession of firearms,” she was convicted in January 2026 of “financing terrorism,” charges RSF says rest on testimonies from witnesses under military protection. She now faces 12 to 18 years in prison.
“Frenchie Mae Cumpio embodies fearless investigative reporting. She should be celebrated as a national icon helping shape the country’s journalism — not imprisoned on the basis of fabricated charges,” said Aleksandra Bielakowska, RSF Asia-Pacific advocacy manager.
Awarded annually since 1997, the Guillermo Cano Prize recognizes individuals or organizations who have made outstanding contributions to press freedom, particularly under threat. RSF and its partners argue Cumpio’s case epitomizes the resilience of journalists in the Philippines, ranked 116th out of 180 in RSF’s 2025 World Press Freedom Index.
In January, RSF and the #FreeFrenchieMaeCumpio coalition rallied 90 press associations and unions urging President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to release her immediately. The coalition includes AlterMidya and the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP). (ZIA LUNA)
