Philippines tells CPJ it will uphold due process ahead of Frenchie Mae Cumpio verdict

New York, January 7, 2026—The Philippines’ presidential office has told the Committee to Protect Journalists that it will uphold due process and protect the rights of journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio, weeks before key judgments in a long-running case that could see her jailed for up to 40 years.

On December 8, ahead of International Human Rights Day, CPJ wrote to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. urging him to free Cumpio, a 26-year-old journalist who has been held in detention for nearly six years since her arrest in February 2020 on charges of illegal possession of firearms and financing terrorism.

In a response on behalf of Marcos, the Presidential Task Force on Media Security said in a December 22 letter to CPJ that while the president’s executive powers cannot be invoked at this time to secure Cumpio’s release, the Marcos administration “is dedicated to protecting her rights and upholding due process to ensure a legitimate and lasting resolution.”

It added that upcoming verdicts in Cumpio’s case “will be critical for recognizing her rights.” A court in Tacloban, a central Philippine city on Leyte island, is due to rule on the firearms charge on January 22, and the financing terrorism charge on February 9. CPJ has been advocating for Cumpio’s release for years.

“We are encouraged by the Philippine government’s pledge to protect Frenchie Mae Cumpio’s rights. It is high time to end the injustice,” said CPJ Asia-Pacific Director Beh Lih Yi. “Authorities must now turn words into action and right past wrongs. Cumpio has been targeted for her critical journalism and each day she spends in jail is a travesty of justice.”

Read the Philippine government’s letter to CPJ in full here.

CPJ’s December 8 letter to Marcos can be read here.