The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines welcomes two positive developments this week: The quashal, or nullification, of made-up murder charges against detained community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio, and the Court of Appeals’ reversal of the forefeiture of more than P500,000 confiscated from Frenchie and from church lay worker Marielle Domequil in 2020.
In a resolution on November 6, Northern Samar Regional Trial Court Branch 21 dismissed charges against Frenchie over the “glaring disparity and difference regarding the identity of the person named in the complaint and the person arrested.”
The complaint had named a certain “Frenchie Armando Cupio”, who the court agreed was not the same Frenchie.
In a separate decision on a separate case, the Court of Appeals 3rd Division reversed the forefeiture of P557,360 confiscated during Frenchie and Marielle’s arrest and said they had been hastily labelled as terrorists.
“Measures to counter terrorism must not be done without due process, and at the expense of individuals, groups, and civil society organizations that are engaged in the promotion and defense of human rights,” the court said as it found no evidence “to believe that the respondents-appellants were or are connected to the CPP-NPA.”
These court victories are a testament to the courage and steadfastness of Frenchie and Marielle, their lawyers, and the community that supports them in the face of dubious cases based on questionable testimony.
That Frenchie has faced two cases and is still waiting for resolution of two others also highlights how the government is throwing everything at her simply for doing her job as a community journalist.
While we gain hope from these court decisions, we are angered that authorities have kept them in jail for so long.
As we await the decision on two other cases, we are resolved to continue the campaign to free Frenchie and to work to ensure that this misuse of the law will not happen to other journalists, activists, and rights defenders.
Reference:
National Directorate
