After more than four years of imprisonment, Frenchie Mae Cumpio and Mariel Domequil were presented in court for the first time on November 11 to hear their testimonies and refute the charges against them. They are facing fabricated charges of illegal possession of firearms and terrorism financing.

Cumpio and Domequil are part of the Tacloban 5, a group of five activists who were illegally arrested in Tacloban City in February 2020. Cumpio is a community journalist of Eastern Vista, while Domequil is a humanitarian worker of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines. The others arrested with them were People Surge Network spokesperson Marissa Cabaljao, Bayan-Eastern Visayas member Mira Legion, and Karapatan’s Alexander Phillip Abinguna.

For the first time, Cumpio testified about the raid the police and 802nd IB forces conducted at the Eastern Vista office where she was arrested along with Domequil.

In her testimony, she recounted that state forces forcibly entered their office, and ordered her and Domequil to lie prone on the floor while the police searched their bedroom. The police presented no warrant and did not identify themselves. Cumpio refuted the military’s claim that they found firearms in their room. She also denied being a member of the Communist Party or the New People’s Army. She said that before her arrest, she had already experienced intense surveillance and harassment.

Cumpio submitted to the court her media ID and receipts for operating a local radio program. The program and Cumpio herself are part of Altermidya, an alliance of independent media organizations.

Support poured in for Cumpio on her first opportunity to defend herself. Members of Altermidya launched protests in Tacloban City and Metro Manila to call for the dismissal of the cases against the Tacloban 5 and the immediate release of Cumpio, Domequil, and Abinguna. (Legion and Cabaljao were temporarily released after posting bail.)

Her fellow journalists said that Cumpio was clearly charged and long imprisoned because of her work and activities as a journalist.

Journalist groups such as the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, International Association of Women in Radio and Television, Reporters without Borders, Freedom Now, and Women Press Freedom made similar calls, with the support of local and international human rights groups such as Human Rights Watch and the Committee to Protect Journalists.

UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression Irene Khan, who visited Cumpio earlier this year, also called for justice on her behalf.