Media groups call for release of detained journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio

International media organizations have called for the immediate release of detained Tacloban journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio, who has been in pretrial detention since February 2020.

Cumpio faces charges including illegal possession of firearms and ammunition and terrorism financing, with international groups urging Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the Department of Justice to drop these charges.

During her testimony on March 24 before a Tacloban Regional Trial Court, Cumpio's case was highlighted as an example of how laws like the Anti-Terrorism Act are misused against activists and rights defenders.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders, Free Press Unlimited, Altermidya, and the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) emphasized that her prolonged detention is a chilling effect on journalism in the country.

Press freedom advocates warned that Cumpio's case sends a message to other journalists about the risks of reporting truthfully on marginalized communities and public issues.

The next court hearing for Cumpio and co-defendants Marielle Domequil and Alexander Abinguna is scheduled for April 14, 2025.