As journalists and media practitioners around the world observed World Press Freedom Day on Saturday, May 3, One Free Press Coalition published its annual “10 Most Urgent” cases of injustice against journalists. Among these cases is the Tacloban City-based journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio.
At 21 years old, Cumpio worked as a community radio broadcaster, covering stories on marginalized sectors and abuses by the military and police. She was arrested in the middle of the night on February 7, 2020 on charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives and terrorism financing.
She currently faces these charges with the rest of what is now called the “Tacloban 5:” Rural Missionaries of the Philippines volunteer Marielle Domequil, activists Alexander “Chakoy” Abinguna and Mira Dalla Legion, and Marissa Cabaljao, spokesperson of disaster survivor support organization People’s Surge Network. All five have denied the accusations against them.
Since Cumpio’s arrest, journalist organizations and press freedom advocates have called for her release. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, Irene Khan, called on the Philippine government to free Cumpio in November 2024, after the journalist’s first court hearing.
“It has taken the government nearly half a decade to prepare a case against [Cumpio] and during this long period, this young woman has been left to languish in detention,” Khan said. “That itself raises serious questions about the fairness of the process.”
Khan added, “The arrest and criminal charges, following months of red-tagging, surveillance, intimidation, and harassment, appear to have been filed in retaliation for her work as a journalist.”
Joining Khan’s call to free Cumpio are the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Free Press Unlimited, and alternative news outfit AlterMidya.
“Cumpio testified to having been subjected to months of surveillance and harassment prior to the raid, and an outside investigation found that a firearm and grenade were planted by military members in her home to incriminate the then-21-year-old,” One Free Press Coalition said.
Included in the “10 Most Urgent” list are journalists Jimmy Lai of Hong Kong, Shin Daewe of Myanmar, Pham Doan Trang of Vietnam, Ihar Losik of Belarus, Sevinj Vagifgizi of Azerbaijan, Vladyslav Yesypenko of Russia, Li Yanhe of China, Kyryzstan’s Makhabat Tajibek Kyzy, Azamat Ishenbekov, and Aike Beishekeyeva, and Joakim Medin of Turkey.
The list was made in collaboration with the CPJ, RSF, and International Women’s Media Foundation. The CPJ reports that 361 journalists around the world were detained by the end of 2024.
Press Freedom in the Philippines
In RSF’s 2025 World Press Freedom Index released on Saturday, the Philippines ranked 116 out of 180 countries, a jump from 134 in last year’s ranking. The Palace welcomed this improvement. “The President is delighted with that latest ranking of the Philippines in relation to its upholding the press freedom,” said Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro. “It shows [President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.] respects one’s right of expression and responsible journalism.” Castro added that the higher ranking also proved that the Marcos administration is not headed towards a dictatorship.
However, the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) and NUJP recorded 184 cases of attacks and threats against media workers from July 2022 to April 2025, exceeding the 128 cases logged under the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte. 86 of these cases are categorized as intimidation, under which red-tagging and surveillance fall.
