RSF - Reporters sans frontières
RSF - Reporters sans frontières
02/13/2026 | Press release | Archived content
RSF and other NGOs nominate detained Filipino journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio for UNESCO Guillermo Cano Prize
To honour the extraordinary courage of Frenchie Mae Cumpio, unjustly detained in the Philippines for six years for her reporting on human rights abuses committed by security forces, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and other press freedom organisations have nominated the journalist for the UNESCO Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize. An icon of press freedom in the country, Frenchie Mae Cumpio was executive director of the news site Eastern Vista and a radio host for Aksyon Radyo Tacloban (DYVL) before her arrest.
Awarded annually since 1997, the Guillermo Cano Prize honours a person or organisation that has made an outstanding contribution to the defence or promotion of press freedom, particularly in the face of danger. RSF, alongside the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Free Press Unlimited (FPU), has nominated Frenchie Mae Cumpio for the 2026 edition, as she embodies the resilience of today's journalists in the Philippines.
"Frenchie Mae Cumpio embodies fearless investigative reporting. She should be celebrated as a national icon helping shape the country's journalism - not imprisoned on the basis of fabricated charges. She fully deserves the recognition of the Guillermo Cano Prize jury for her investigations into human rights violations committed by the military and for her unwavering commitment to press freedom in the Philippines.
Aleksandra Bielakowska
Advocacy Manager, RSF Asia-Pacific
On 7 February 2020, Frenchie Mae Cumpio's living quarters were raided by police and military officials. She was arrested and placed in pretrial detention. Cumpio was eventually acquitted of "illegal possession of firearms," but on 22 January 2026, she was convicted of "financing terrorism" based solely on the testimonies of witnesses who, according to an RSF investigation, are under military protection and are witnesses in several similar human rights cases brought by the military against civilians. She now faces a prison sentence of 12 to 18 years.
In January 2026, RSF and the #FreeFrenchieMaeCumpio coalition brought together 90 press associations and unions that called on President Marcos to release her immediately.
The Philippines ranks among the most dangerous countries in the world for media professionals, coming in 116th out of 180 countries and territories in the 2025 RSF World Press Freedom Index.
RSF, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Free Press Unlimited (FPU) are part of the #FreeFrenchieMaeCumpio coalition, along with AlterMidya, and the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP).
Published on13.02.2026
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