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CPJ, partners welcome dismissal of PH murder case against Frenchie Mae Cumpio

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Frenchie Mae Cumpio 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.

New York—The Committee to Protect Journalists and partners welcomed a Philippine court’s decision to quash the murder charges against community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio and called on authorities to drop all remaining charges against her.

The 26-year-old journalist 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. A court is set to rule on the firearms case in January 2026. No date has been fixed for the other case. She faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted on both charges.

Cumpio faced a separate case on murder and attempted murder charges over an incident in October 2019; a court in the eastern Philippines granted her petition to nullify the charges on November 6, 2025. Another court also ruled in her favor earlier this week in a separate civil case, saying it had found no evidence that Cumpio is a terrorist.

CPJ and the #FreeFrenchieMaeCumpio Coalition said that “full justice will only be served if the community journalist is immediately released from prison” and all charges against her are dropped. The coalition also includes media groups AlterMidya, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, Reporters Without Borders, and Free Press Unlimited.

CPJ has been advocating for Cumpio’s release for years. In mid-2022, CPJ wrote to then-President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr., calling for charges against Cumpio to be dropped. The following year, a CPJ delegation traveled to the eastern Philippines, where she is being held, to advocate for her freedom. CPJ also was part of an international coalition that was denied a prison visit in June 2025.

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