Frenchie Mae Cumpio, a Filipino journalist who has spent nearly six years in detention without trial, faces up to 40 years in prison after a court found her guilty of terror financing. Rights groups have condemned the verdict as 'absurd', and her supporters say the case is a 'travesty of justice'.
Cumpio was arrested in February 2020 at her boarding house in Tacloban after police claimed to have found a hand grenade, a firearm, and a communist flag in her bed. She has consistently maintained her innocence, alleging the items were planted. Her colleague Neil Eco described the raid as 'like theatre', questioning how anyone could sleep with a grenade under their pillow.
The journalist, who was 21 at the time of her arrest, had been reporting on alleged harassment of poor farmers by the military. Her work, which was critical of authorities, had led to intimidation, including a stranger asking after her and a bouquet designed for a grave. She and activist Alexander Abinguna had sought an inspection by the Commission on Human Rights to prove there were no illicit materials, but the raid occurred before it could take place.
Cumpio still faces charges of funding terrorism, relating to cash seized during the raid, which she says came from a fundraising campaign. Prosecutors had also accused her of double murder, but those charges were dropped. Her lawyer describes the case as 'pure harassment'.
Press freedom organisations say the charges are fabricated and part of a wider pattern of 'red tagging' in the Philippines, where activists and journalists are accused of being communist rebels. Under former president Rodrigo Duterte, such practices worsened, with police often planting evidence. The Philippines is one of the most dangerous countries for journalists, with at least 147 killed since 1986.
The Philippine government has denied the allegations, stating the charges are not politically motivated and rejecting claims of 'red-tagging'. The verdict is expected to be delivered on Thursday, with Cumpio now 26 years old.
