Metro Manila, Philippines – A community journalist detained for six years was convicted of terrorism financing – a ruling that press freedom and rights advocates described as a move to silence critical reporting.
On Thursday, Jan. 22, the Tacloban Regional Trial Court in Leyte sentenced Cumpio to 12 to 18 years in prison.
The court also found her co-accused, Marielle Domequil, a lay worker, guilty of the same crime, said the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines.
At the same time, both were acquitted of illegal possession of firearms and explosives.
Cumpio was arrested during the Duterte administration in February 2020, along with four other people, for allegedly possessing firearms, grenades, and a cash box for alleged insurgency activities. She denied the accusations.
In a statement, the NUJP condemned Cumpio’s conviction, calling the charges as “products of a questionable arrest and testimony from dubious witnesses.”
“The verdict is an injustice, especially in light of a Court of Appeals reversal in the forfeiture case for the money confiscated in their arrest,” it said, referring to the CA ruling in October 2025.
The NUJP said it also welcomes their acquittal on the illegal possession of firearms and explosives case, “however partial that victory may be.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists also denounced the ruling, saying it’s meant to silence journalists.
“This absurd verdict shows that the various pledges made by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to uphold press freedom are nothing but empty talk,” it said in a statement.
The government through the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFOMS) said it respects the ruling, saying it “reflects the court’s independent and evidence-based appreciation of the records.”
“We are fully aware of the concerns raised by the media community. Upholding the rule of law and protecting press freedom are not opposing principles. They are both essential pillars of a democratic society,” said Jose Torres Jr., PTFOMS executive director.
Cumpio was a radio news anchor and the executive director of the Eastern Vista website, and often reported on alleged police and military abuses.
Her case has caught the attention of international rights groups, with UN special envoy Irene Khan describing her case as a “travesty of justice.”
