CPJ condemns ‘absurd’ prison sentence of up to 18 years for Philippine journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio

Tacloban City, January 22, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists on Thursday condemned the harsh 12- to 18-year prison sentence handed down to Philippine journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio after she was found guilty of financing terrorism, and called on authorities to immediately free her and stop targeting journalists.

“This absurd verdict shows that the various pledges made by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to uphold press freedom are nothing but empty talk,” said CPJ Asia-Pacific Director Beh Lih Yi. “Although the journalist was cleared on the charge of illegal possession of firearms, the ruling underscores the lengths that Philippine authorities are willing to go to silence critical reporting. The Philippines must free Frenchie Mae Cumpio without conditions and stop criminalizing journalists.”

The Tacloban Regional Trial Court in the eastern Philippines found Cumpio guilty of financing terrorism and ordered her to serve a prison sentence between 12 years and five months, and 18 years and eight months.

The court acquitted Cumpio on a separate charge of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, in a hearing attended by diplomats from the Media Freedom Coalition and nongovernmental organizations including CPJ. If she had been convicted of both offenses, she would have faced up to 40 years in jail.

Cumpio, who will turn 27 on Friday, is the first journalist convicted on financing terrorism charges in the Philippines and the country’s longest-imprisoned journalist in recent years.

Cumpio has been in jail since her arrest in February 2020. Before her detention, she served as executive director of the Eastern Vista news website and worked as a radio news anchor, frequently reporting on alleged police and military abuses as well as community welfare issues.

CPJ and the #FreeFrenchieMaeCumpio coalition have consistently raised concerns about allegations that authorities had planted the weapons that led to her 2020 arrest.

On November 6, a court in the eastern Philippines quashed separate murder charges against Cumpio over an incident in October 2019. Another court also ruled in her favor the same week in a separate civil case, saying it had found no evidence that Cumpio was a terrorist.

CPJ has been advocating for Cumpio’s release for years.

In 2023, a CPJ delegation traveled to the Philippines to advocate for her freedom. In mid-2025, CPJ also met senior Philippine officials and delivered Cumpio’s handwritten letter to the United Nations headquarters, where it was read by U.N. special envoy Irene Khan, who called her case a “travesty of justice.”

On December 8, ahead of International Human Rights Day, CPJ wrote to Marcos urging him to free Cumpio. In response, the Philippines’ presidential office told CPJ it would uphold due process and protect her rights.

After multiple rejections by Philippine authorities, CPJ was granted permission to visit Cumpio in prison on Wednesday before her verdicts.