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March 07, 2025 – Philippines –
Calls are intensifying for the immediate and unconditional release of Filipino journalist Frenchiemae Cumpio, who has been detained since February 2020 on controversial charges that rights groups say are politically motivated and unjust.
Cumpio, known for her work as an investigative journalist and director of Eastern Vista, was arrested during a raid in Tacloban City, along with several social workers. Authorities claim she was involved in communist activities and accused her of illegal possession of firearms and terrorist financing. However, media rights groups argue that these charges are fabricated, a tactic used to silence critical voices in the Philippines.
On March 24, 2025, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), along with an international coalition of press freedom advocates, launched a campaign urging Philippine authorities to release Cumpio. The campaign includes a public appeal to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the Department of Justice, demanding the dismissal of the baseless charges against her. RSF emphasized that Cumpio has already endured more than five years in pre-trial detention under inhumane conditions, without a conviction.
Support for Cumpio’s release has grown beyond press freedom circles. Catholic leaders, labor unions, and human rights defenders have joined in condemning her continued imprisonment. A growing movement sees her detention as emblematic of the broader suppression of dissent and attacks on free speech under anti-terrorism and anti-insurgency operations in the Philippines.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) has consistently maintained that Cumpio is being punished for her critical reporting on military abuses and poor governance in Eastern Visayas. They call her detention a violation of journalistic rights and press freedom, demanding her release alongside other arrested social workers.
Cumpio’s case underscores the perilous environment for journalists in the Philippines, where red-tagging and judicial harassment are increasingly used to criminalize reporting. As international pressure mounts, her supporters hope that Cumpio’s release will mark a turning point in the country’s troubling trajectory on media freedom.
Reference –
https://www.manilatimes.net/2025/03/07/regions/journalists-group-calls-for-release-of-cumpio/2068486
