CAGAYAN DE ORO — A group of journalists expressed its extreme disappointment after a local court denied the motions for reconsideration filed by the camp of detained journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio and church worker Marielle Domequil.
In a decision promulgated on March 25, 2026, Tacloban City Regional Trial Court Branch 45 Judge Georgina Uy Perez denied the appeals for lack of merit. These motions sought to reconsider the decisions convicting both accused of terrorism financing and denying them admission to bail.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) said that affirming the conviction sets a dangerous precedent for journalists, humanitarian workers, and activists in the country, where courts can punish those wrongfully accused without tangible evidence.
“Uy-Perez’s blind faith in the testimonies of self-declared rebel surrenderers is unacceptable and unjust,” the group said in a statement.
On January 22, 2026, the two accused were convicted of violating the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act (TFPSA) after they allegedly made available funds to so-called terrorist organizations. The same court denied their motion for bail on February 13.
The two have been behind bars since their arrest on February 7, 2020.
TIMELINE:The prolonged detention of Filipino journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio
Their legal team had raised several arguments on the court judgment, insisting that there was no valid designation of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) as terrorist groups, that the ruling was heavily based on testimonies of alleged former rebels, and that there was alleged discounting of the defense’s evidence.
Uy-Perez maintained that CPP and NPA were “validly” designated as terrorist organizations through Proclamation No. 374 of then-president Rodrigo Duterte in 2017, saying the president exercised his constitutional mandate to “ensure that the laws (TFPSA) be faithfully executed.”
This proclamation was in effect when Cumpio and Domequil allegedly handed over cash and logistics to an NPA commander in Catbalogan City, Samar, in March 2019, as claimed by alleged former rebels presented by prosecution.
Read:How ‘ex-rebels’ testimonies lead to conviction of Cumpio, Domequil
The Tacloban court judge also stated that the rules “do not demand” the presentation of documentary evidence, as the alleged former rebels’ testimonies were weighed by the court and found them “credible.” She added that the court also weighed the defense’s digital evidence, but it did not negate the prosecution’s alleged proof.
Moreover, Uy-Perez maintained that the grant of bail is not automatic even if none of the bail-negating circumstances are present, and the “national security” consideration was viewed as a “relevant” factor in her discretionary assessment.
In the motions filed by the defense lawyers, they asserted that there is no provision in TFPSA that authorizes the president, through proclamation, to adopt foreign terrorist designations, as this requires due process.
For them, the 2017 proclamation is “only intended to be an expression of executive policy and not a self-executing designation.”
They also flagged the credibility and inconsistencies of alleged rebel returnees who served as witnesses, with one publicly advocating the programs of the state-run National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), which, according to human rights groups, has been allegedly red-tagging human rights defenders.
For the bail, considering the years they spent in jail, the defense lawyers emphasized that both accused will not evade the prosecution if released.
Lawyer Julianne Agpalo of the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL), one of the accused’s legal counsel, is frustrated after learning the decision, maintaining that Cumpio and Domequil are innocent.
She also expressed her gravest concern about the possible impact of this affirmation. “Because it would really send a chilling effect to critical journalists and even NGOs (non-government organizations) and lay workers who worked closely with communities in conflict-affected areas,” she told Bulatlat.
The legal team, she said, is pursuing all legal remedies, including the filing of an appeal to the appellate court.
Lawyer Ephraim Cortez, NUPL president, said that once it is appealed, the Office of the Solicitor General will take over the case as the principal counsel.
“This is another opportunity for Solicitor General Darlene Berberabe to assert her authority as the ‘tribune of the people’ and conduct a review of this case and make the appropriate recommendations as she did in the case of Maria Ressa,” Cortez wrote in a Facebook post.
Agpalo discussed the decision to her clients, Cumpio and Domequil. The lawyer said both accused were calm this time as compared to the promulgation on January 22, saying they were keen on the things that needed to be done after filing the motions.
The NUJP vowed to continue calls for their freedom, expressing confidence that truth will prevail. (RVO)
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