CA junks terrorism case vs journalist, activist for lack of evidence

By Juliane Judilla

Days after the commemoration of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, the Court of Appeals (CA) dismissed the forfeiture case against community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio and lay worker and activist Marielle Domequil, citing insufficient evidence linking them to terrorism.

In a decision penned by Associate Justice Apolinario Bruselas Jr. of the CA Third Division, the court ruled that the PHP 557,360 in cash seized from Cumpio and Domequil lacked sufficient proof to establish that it was intended to finance terrorism or that the two were members of the New People’s Army (NPA).

According to the decision, authorities were too quick to associate the pair with terrorist activities without clear and convincing evidence.

“The Court cannot countenance the hasty labelling of human rights advocates as terrorists and the speedy confiscation of their funds and property in the name of national security,” the ruling stated.

The court stressed that anti-terrorism efforts must always uphold the rights and due process of individuals and organizations.

“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,” it added.

The seized cash, which the government sought to forfeit, was found in a black box during a police raid on the rented room of Cumpio and Domequil in February 2020.

The two were arrested for alleged illegal possession of firearms, charges they have consistently denied.

Despite the appellate court’s decision, Cumpio and Domequil remain detained on separate criminal charges.

Cumpio, editor of the alternative media outlet Eastern Vista, was arrested alongside four other activists—Marissa Cabaljao, leader of the coalition People’s Surge; Alexander Abinguna of Katungod–Sinirangan Bisayas; Mira Legion of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) Eastern Visayas; and Domequil of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (RMP).

Collectively known as the “Tacloban 5,” the group was arrested during simultaneous police raids in Tacloban City, Leyte, on Feb. 7, 2020.

The CA ruling marks a significant development in the five-year case that many rights and press freedom advocates have condemned as part of a broader campaign of harassment and red-tagging against journalists and activists in the Philippines.