A Philippine court has found community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio guilty of financing terrorism and sentenced her to at least 12 years in prison, a ruling that has sparked renewed concern among press freedom advocates.
The conviction follows Cumpio’s more than six years in detention without trial and marks a pivotal moment in a case that media rights groups have long described as politically motivated.
Cumpio, 26, was arrested in February 2020 after police and military forces raided her boarding house in Tacloban City during a nighttime operation. Authorities said they recovered a hand grenade, a firearm, a communist flag, and several thousand pounds in cash from her room.
Cumpio has consistently denied the allegations, saying the money came from a fundraising campaign and that the weapons were planted. On Thursday, the court acquitted her of charges related to illegal possession of firearms and explosives but convicted her of terrorism financing, sentencing her to a minimum of 12 years behind bars.
The ruling comes after she spent six years in jail awaiting trial. Cumpio’s legal team said the verdict sends a troubling signal for journalism in the Philippines. “We are deeply concerned about the implications of this conviction,” said Atty. Josa Deinla, one of her lawyers, speaking to the BBC. “There are many other cases — trumped-up cases of financing terrorism — that are still being prosecuted all over the country.”
Deinla added that the decision could have far-reaching effects on grassroots reporting.
“The sad reality is that this carries grievous consequences for community journalism,” she said. “It is the journalists on the fringes — those who don’t belong to dominant media organizations — who bring to light conditions in rural areas where the poorest people live.”
Before her arrest, Cumpio reported extensively on alleged abuses by military and police forces in the Eastern Visayas region.
She wrote for the news site Eastern Vista, where she served as a former director, and hosted a radio program on Aksyon Radyo-Tacloban DYVL, covering issues affecting marginalized communities.
Her reporting placed her among a small but influential group of local journalists documenting human rights concerns outside major urban centers.
The conviction drew swift condemnation from Philippine and international press freedom organizations.
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Independent outlet Alermidya described the ruling as “a miscarriage of justice,” saying in a statement that the charges against Cumpio and her co-accused — known as the “Tacloban 5” — were fabricated.
“The decision is a grave injustice and a serious peril to the already dire state of press freedom and free expression in the Philippines,” the group said.
The Philippines’ chapter of the International Association of Women in Radio and Television also denounced the verdict, calling it “a blatant act of state-sponsored silencing.”
“The conviction of Frenchie Mae for terror financing is a travesty,” the group said, adding that it seeks to legitimize the silencing of women who “dare to speak truth to power.”
“This sends a chilling message: that documenting the struggles of the poor has become a punishable offense,” the statement continued.
The Philippines has long been considered one of the most dangerous countries for journalists, according to data from Reporters Without Borders (RSF), with reporters frequently facing threats, legal harassment, and violence.
Cumpio’s case has become emblematic of what rights groups describe as the growing use of anti-terrorism laws against journalists, activists, and civil society figures.
Cumpio’s lawyers are expected to pursue further legal remedies, while press freedom organizations continue to campaign for her release.