The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) denounced the conviction of community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio and lay worker Marielle Domequil in a terrorism financing case, branding the verdict “an injustice” and a blow to press freedom.
NUJP stressed that the charges were “trumped up” and stemmed from a “questionable arrest” and “dubious witnesses,” noting that the Court of Appeals had already reversed the forfeiture of money seized during their detention.
Cumpio, then executive director of Eastern Vista and a radio broadcaster reporting on alleged police and military abuses, has become emblematic of the “challenged state of press freedom” in the Philippines. NUJP warned her conviction undermines journalists’ ability to report without fear of reprisal.
While welcoming their acquittal in the firearms and explosives case as a “partial victory,” NUJP vowed to continue the fight for Cumpio, Domequil, and the rest of the Tacloban 5.
The group called on the media community and the public to monitor the case closely, underscoring that collective vigilance is key to defending free expression.
NUJP also acknowledged solidarity from local and international press freedom advocates, including Altermidya, CPJ, Free Press Unlimited, RSF, and the Media Freedom Coalition, whose monitoring and support have helped sustain the campaign for justice. (ZIA LUNA)
