TIMELINE: Frenchie Mae Cumpio’s conviction for terrorism financing

Community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio was convicted of financing terrorism on Thursday, January 22, 2026.

After spending nearly six years at the detention center since February 2020, Cumpio and lay worker Marielle Domequil were convicted of financing terrorism but were acquitted by Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 45 of Tacloban City of the illegal possession of firearms and explosives charge.

They were sentenced to a maximum of 18 years in prison. Cumpio and Domequil, together with three others, are collectively known as the Tacloban 5. They were active in community organizations and humanitarian efforts before they were arrested by authorities.

Cumpio and Domequil were also with the Stand with Samar Leyte, a group that has been rolling humanitarian efforts that help farmers and far-flung communities in the Eastern Visayas.

Financing terrorism, according to local and international humanitarian groups, is often used in the Philippines to silence activism and dissent. Cumpio, who covered issues affecting marginalized sectors in the Visayas, remains imprisoned as a result of the Duterte administration’s crackdown on media workers and activists critical of the government, and Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s failure to uphold his promises to protect press freedom.

Here’s a timeline of the cases filed against Cumpio. This story will be updated once there are developments in any of the cases.

February 7, 2020

The Philippine National Police and the Philippine Military raid the residence of Cumpio and Domequil where an alleged P557,360 in cash was seized after search warrants Nos. 2020-02-02 and 2020-02-03 were served in the middle of the night. The raid, carried out by heavily armed officers, is the product of months of government surveillance; authorities also claim that they recovered firearms. Cumpio and Domequil both deny being the owners of the firearms.

According to Cumpio, the first team to search their apartment brought them to the kitchen while they were still in their sleeping clothes. Another team then brought them back to their room after almost 20 minutes, at which point a firearm was already present and the raiders served their warrant. 

Cumpio is aged 21 and Domequil is only 22 when they are arrested and detained.

February 10, 2020

Authorities file the information for illegal possession of firearms and explosives, signaling that the prosecutor had elevated the matter from a police report to a formal criminal case. This transition occurs after the prosecution is said to have conducted a preliminary investigation or an inquest to determine probable cause.

May 8, 2020

Under Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) Resolution No. TF-27, series of 2020, the council orders the freezing of the P557,360 allegedly recovered during the raid of Cumpio and Domequil’s room. This administrative order was issued to facilitate the investigation into the funds’ origins under the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act.

June 19, 2020

The Court of Appeals (CA) extends the freeze order for an additional six months, lasting until November 28, 2020. This extension follows the initial 20-day freeze order issued by the AMLC shortly after the raid in February 2020.

October 14, 2020

AMLC Resolution No. TF-27, Series of 2020, authorizes the AMLC Secretariat to file a petition for civil forfeiture against the funds seized from Cumpio and Domequil.

Under Philippine laws, civil forfeiture is a lawsuit filed by the government to acquire ownership of assets believed to be linked to a crime. Unlike criminal forfeiture, which requires a person to be convicted of a crime first, civil forfeiture is a non-conviction-based proceeding that focuses on the property itself. If granted, the assets will be permanently transferred to the government.

Civil forfeiture is relevant to the case as the forfeiture will signal that there was evidence found that Cumpio and Domequil are linked to, or support, acts of terrorism by providing cash and logistical support. 

December 22, 2020

Following the filing of the petition for civil forfeiture, the court grants the issuance of a Provisional Asset Preservation Order. This legal measure serves to temporarily freeze the seized funds while the civil forfeiture case — a proceeding that can permanently transfer ownership of assets to the government — is being litigated.

March 29, 2021

While the charges for illegal possession of firearms and explosives remain pending, Cumpio and Domequil face additional criminal complaints before the Department of Justice (DOJ) for allegedly financing terrorism.

Under Section 8 of Republic Act No. 10168 (The Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012), any person who makes property, funds, or financial services available to an identified terrorist person or organization can be penalized with reclusion temporal to reclusion perpetua, along with a fine ranging from P500,000 to P1,000,000.

In this case, the two are accused of financing terrorism for allegedly providing cash to the New People’s Army. These charges are predicated on the prosecution’s identification of the Communist Party of the Philippines and the NPA as terrorist organizations. 

July 2021

Cumpio and Domequil file their counter-affidavits with the DOJ to contest the financing terrorism charges filed against them. Their sworn statements formally refute the allegations and present their defenses, aiming to show a lack of probable cause. They move for a dismissal of the complaint at the preliminary investigation stage.

September 30, 2021

The DOJ rules that there is probable cause to indict Cumpio and Domequil for financing terrorism. This indictment renders the case non-bailable, as the charge carries a potential penalty of reclusion perpetua. 

Combined with the existing charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives, this creates a multi-layered legal battle that keeps them in detention for nearly six years.

October 13, 2021

The prosecution files the information for financing terrorism before the Catbalogan RTC. This filing marks the formal transition of the case from the prosecutorial stage to the trial phase.

June 10, 2022

The Catbalogan RTC transfers the financing terrorism case to Tacloban City RTC Branch 45, as it is the designated special court for handling such cases in the region.

January 13, 2023

Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 18 issues a receipt of their decision granting the civil forfeiture petition filed by the AMLC. This ruling orders that the P557,360 seized from Cumpio and Domequil be forfeited in favor of the government, based on the court’s initial finding that the funds were linked to terrorism financing.

March 16, 2023

The defense appeals the Manila RTC’s decision to the CA, seeking to overturn forfeiture of the seized funds. 

March 2024

The prosecution rests its case for both terrorism financing and the illegal possession of firearms and explosives. This signifies that the government has concluded the presentation of all its evidence. 

Consequently, the burden of evidence shifts to the defense, who were then tasked to present their side of the case to clear Cumpio and Domequil of the charges.

May 2024

The defense counsel for Cumpio and Domequil begins presenting evidence to contest both the financing terrorism and illegal possession of firearms and explosives charges. Throughout the hearings, the defense introduces the following evidence to refute the prosecution’s claims:

• Testimonial and documentary evidence to prove that Cumpio is a community journalist and Domequil is a lay worker.
• Evidence to prove that they were the convenors of Stand with Samar Leyte, a humanitarian effort to address the plight of farmers and communities of Eastern Visayas.
• Testimonies and documentary evidence to prove that Cumpio and Domequil are engaged in lawful activities.
• Testimonies and documentary evidence refuting the testimonies of the prosecution’s witnesses.
• Testimonial and documentary evidence to prove that they were not in Catbalogan, Samar at the time of the alleged crime.

November 11, 2024

Cumpio starts providing her testimonies for both cases. It takes the court five years to hear Cumpio’s side.

She reveals what happened on the night of the raid, including the forceful entry of authorities. Her defense team argues that the allegations made against Cumpio are all fabricated, including the evidence allegedly recovered from their rented apartment (READ: It took the court 4 years to let this 25-year-old journalist tell her side of the story)

April 14, 2025

Domequil starts providing her testimonies in both cases. While in detention, Cumpio learns that murder and attempted murder cases were filed against her in a Laoang court in Northern Samar. 

August 2025

Cumpio’s defense team files a motion to quash the Information before the Laoang RTC, leading to the dismissal of both the murder and attempted murder cases.

October 29, 2025

The CA overturns the Manila RTC decision and grants the appeal of Cumpio and Domequil to dismiss the civil forfeiture case. This means that the money seized from the rented apartment of Cumpio and Domequil will be returned to them.

In its decision, the CA finds that the AMLC failed to establish a factual or legal link between the funds and any terrorist organization. The court emphasizes that Cumpio and Domequil are not “designated terrorists” and cautions against the “hasty labeling” of human rights advocates and journalists.

November 6, 2025

The Laoang RTC grants Cumpio’s motion to quash the information and dismisses the murder and attempted murder cases against her.

The court rules in favor of the defense, citing a “glaring disparity” between the identity of the person named in the complaint — a certain “Frenchie Armando Cupio” — and the arrested journalist. 

January 22, 2026

A Tacloban RTC acquits Cumpio and Domequil of the possession of firearms and explosives charge but convicts them of terrorism financing and sentences them to an indeterminate prison term of 12 to 18 years, on top of the nearly six years they have already spent in detention.

Local and international groups denounce the conviction, saying that it sends a “chilling message” to the media, activists, and ordinary citizens in the Philippines. “The Philippines should serve as an international example of protecting media freedom — not a perpetrator that red-tags, prosecutes, and imprisons journalists simply for doing their work,” Reporters Without Borders says.

Earlier in 2025, United Nations Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Opinion and Expression Irene Khan described Cumpio’s case as a “travesty of justice,” citing her prolonged detention and the deliberate delay of judicial proceedings as forms of injustice. – with reports from John Sitchon and Patrick Cruz/Rappler.com