CPJ nominates Philippine journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio for UNESCO’s Guillermo Cano Prize

New York, February 13, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has nominated imprisoned Philippine journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio for the 2026 Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, in recognition of her outstanding courage, commitment to journalism, and defense of press freedom in the face of adversity.

“Frenchie Mae Cumpio is a beacon of journalism in a country long saddled with abysmal conditions for the press. Awarding her with the 2026 UNESCO/Cano Prize would be a clarion call for the Philippines and other countries to cease the rampant criminalization and undue imprisonment of journalists,” said CPJ Chief Global Affairs Officer Gypsy Guillén Kaiser.

Press freedom groups Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Free Press Unlimited (FPU) are also nominating Cumpio for this year’s prize, named after Colombian journalist Guillermo Cano Isaza, who was murdered in front of the offices of his newspaper in 1986. The prize is awarded annually on May 3, World Press Freedom Day.

Cumpio, 27, has been behind bars since her arrest in February 2020. She was convicted on the charge of financing terrorism last month and was sentenced to between 12 and 18 years in prison. She was acquitted on another charge of illegal possession of firearms.

CPJ has been advocating for Cumpio’s release for years. Her prolonged imprisonment has been condemned by a United Nations expert as a travesty of justice, and her case has become emblematic of the threats facing journalists worldwide, in autocracies and democracies alike, as the number of journalists jailed globally reaches record levels.

CPJ and the #FreeFrenchieMaeCumpio coalition have consistently raised concerns about the fabrication of evidence and allegations that authorities planted the weapons that led to her 2020 arrest. The #FreeFrenchieMaeCumpio coalition includes CPJ, RSF, FPU, as well as Philippine media groups AlterMidya and the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines.

About the Committee to Protect Journalists

The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide. We defend the right of journalists to report the news safely and without fear of reprisal.

Notes to editors: For media queries or interview requests, please contact [email protected] or [email protected]