More than 250 journalists from around the world have urged Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to release detained community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio.
They warned that her case represents a broader attack on press freedom in the Philippines.
In a joint letter sent on 24 September 2025, the signatories — including media directors, editors-in-chief, and senior editors from 35 countries and territories — called on Marcos to “end the persecution” of the 26-year-old journalist.
The unprecedented appeal was organized by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the #FreeFrenchieMaeCumpio coalition.
Among the signatories are journalists from major newsrooms such as Rappler, ABS-CBN, GMA News, Al Jazeera, the New York Times, Associated Press, and MindaNews, alongside global press freedom groups like Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists.
The letter said Cumpio’s “continued detention is not only a denial of justice but also a contradiction of [President Marcos’] stated commitment to press freedom.”
It reminded the president of his own words in April 2024, when he declared that “national interest is better served by a press that is critical rather than a press that is cooperative.”
They argued that her release would “demonstrate the highest respect for human rights” as the country prepares to chair ASEAN in 2026.
Cumpio has been held in pre-trial detention since February 2020 on charges of “financing terrorism” and “illegal possession of firearms” — allegations RSF described as unfounded.
She also faces fabricated “double murder” charges in a separate case. If convicted, she could be jailed for up to 40 years. Her next court hearing is set for 29 September.
Her defense has flagged irregularities in the proceedings, including contradictions in witness testimony and evidence suggesting that the firearms allegedly seized from her home were planted.
Before her arrest, Cumpio worked as executive director of the Eastern Vista news site and hosted a radio program in Tacloban, where she reported on police and military abuses in Eastern Visayas.
Aleksandra Bielakowska, RSF’s Asia-Pacific advocacy manager, said the joint appeal reflects international solidarity with the jailed journalist.
The coalition, she explained, “has brought together the powerful voices of journalists from around the world to send a clear message: the international media community will not remain silent while their colleague, Frenchie Mae Cumpio, is unjustly detained in the Philippines.”
She added that “an attack on one journalist is an attack on press freedom everywhere” and urged Marcos and the Department of Justice to “immediately release Frenchie Mae Cumpio and drop all charges against her.”
The letter emphasized that Cumpio “exemplifies precisely” the vision of a press that strengthens democracy.
“That is why we, 255 journalists from the Philippines and across the globe, urge you to use your authority to direct the Department of Justice (DoJ) to drop all charges against Cumpio and immediately restore her freedom,” the signatories wrote.
RSF noted that she is currently the “only journalist imprisoned in the Philippines for her work.”
The coalition behind the appeal includes the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines and AlterMidya, along with RSF, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and Free Press Unlimited.
The Philippines placed 116th out of 180 in the 2025 RSF World Press Freedom Index, categorized as a country where the press freedom situation is “difficult.”
