Philippines: RSF and coalition of NGOs welcome dismissal of trumped-up case against Frenchie Mae Cumpio

The ruling announcedon 6 November by the Laoang Regional Trial Court Branch 21 to grant the motion to quash the baseless murder charge filed against Frenchie Mae Cumpio marks a significant step forward after years of relentless campaigning for her release.

The journalist has been held in pre-trial detention since February 2020 for "illegal possession of firearms" and "financing terrorism." In August 2025, an exclusive RSF investigation revealedthe existence of a third trumped-up case against the journalist, in which she was accused of involvement in the ambush that resulted in the soldiers' deaths. The investigation, carried out on the ground, found that these claims were as flimsy and implausible as the charges that have kept her behind bars for the past five years.

Cumpio's trial is nearing its conclusion, with the promulgation of judgment in the illegal firearms possession case set for 22 January 2026. The resolution for the Formal Offer of Evidence of the defense in the financing terrorism case is still pending. She faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.

The long fight for Frenchie

Earlier this week, the Court of Appeals (CA) dismissedthe civil forfeiture case against Cumpio involving the seizure of nearly $10,000 assets, ruling that they found no evidence linking her to terrorist groups. With these positive developments, the #FreeFrenchieMaeCumpio coalition renewed its call for the remaining charges of illegal firearms possession and financing terrorism against Cumpio to be dropped immediately.

The twenty-six-year-old Frenchie Mae Cumpio was the executive director of the independent news outfit Eastern Vistaand a radio news anchor who covered police and military abuses as well as community welfare issues before she was arrested alongside four human rights defenders in February 2020.

In September 2025, 250 prominent journalists from around the world joined the coalition in signing an unprecedented joint letter to Philippine President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., expressing support for detained investigative journalist. Among the signatories are media directors, editors-in-chief, and senior editors from 35 countries and territories, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa.

The Philippines ranks poorly in the 2025 RSF World Press Freedom Index, coming in 116th out of 180 countries and territories and categorised as a country where the state of press freedom is "difficult."

#FreeFrenchieMaeCumpio coalition consists of RSF, AlterMidya, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Free Press Unlimited (FPU), and the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP).