Philippine Court’s Terrorism Financing Conviction Sparks Fears for Press Freedom, Dissent
Tacloban City, Philippines – A Philippine court’s recent conviction of journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio and human rights worker Marielle Domequil on terrorism financing charges has ignited concerns about the criminalization of dissent and the erosion of press freedom in the Southeast Asian nation. The pair were sentenced on January 22 to between 12 and 18 years in prison, a verdict widely condemned by rights groups as a miscarriage of justice.
Cumpio, a community journalist, and Domequil, a lay worker with the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines, were arrested in February 2020 alongside three others – Alexander Philip Abinguna, Marissa Cabaljao, and Mira Legion – during police and military raids in Tacloban City. The five, collectively known as the “Tacloban 5,” were accused of supporting communist insurgents.
The case hinges on the testimonies of four “rebel returnees” – individuals who claim to have defected from armed groups and receive financial support from the military. These witnesses alleged they saw Cumpio and Domequil at a camp of the New People’s Army (NPA) in March 2019, handing over cash and supplies. The court relied solely on these testimonies despite the defense presenting evidence placing Cumpio and Domequil elsewhere on that date, and the lack of any corroborating evidence.
“There was no corroborating proof or documentary or photographic evidence, just those testimonies from military assets whose credibility should have been questioned,” according to CIVICUS, a global civil society alliance.
The court acquitted Cumpio and Domequil of charges related to the illegal possession of explosives and firearms, citing unreliable witnesses and potential evidence planting. However, it simultaneously convicted them of terrorism financing based on the same contested testimonies.
This outcome is particularly troubling given a Court of Appeals decision in October 2025 overturning a civil forfeiture case against Cumpio and Domequil, finding insufficient evidence linking them to the NPA. The Court of Appeals even cautioned against hastily labeling human rights workers as terrorists.
The conviction has drawn sharp criticism from organizations like Karapatan, a human rights group, which documents arbitrary imprisonment and extrajudicial killings in the Philippines. They argue the case exemplifies how anti-terror laws are used to silence critics through “red-tagging” – the practice of publicly accusing individuals of communist ties without evidence, leading to surveillance, harassment, and potential violence.
The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), a government body known for its aggressive red-tagging campaigns, celebrated the verdict as a “decisive legal victory against terrorism.” This celebration, critics say, underscores the political motivations behind the prosecution.
While Cumpio and Domequil await appeal, Abinguna remains in pretrial detention six years after his arrest, facing additional charges. Cabaljao and Legion were released on bail but continue to face repercussions, including frozen assets and ongoing harassment.
Karapatan reports that approximately 700 political prisoners are currently detained in the Philippines, many facing similar patterns of red-tagging, questionable raids, and prolonged detention. The organization emphasizes the need for structural reforms, including explicitly prohibiting red-tagging and repealing or amending the anti-terrorism law to prevent its misuse against human rights defenders and journalists.
The case of the Tacloban 5 highlights a growing trend of suppressing dissent in the Philippines, raising serious concerns about the future of press freedom and civil liberties in the country.
