Tacloban City’s Regional Trial Court has denied the bail petitions of community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio, and activist Marielle Domequil, the court confirmed on Monday, February 16.
Judge Georgina Uy Perez cited the seriousness of the offense and the risk of continued involvement in prohibited activities in a nine-page decision on Feb. 13.
Civil society groups and press freedom advocates, including the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), criticized the ruling, saying prolonged detention undermines due process.
“Each day that Frenchie is in jail is another day that she is kept from her family and from the community whose issues and problems she had reported on and for,” the NUJP said in a statement.
Cumpio and Domequil were convicted on Jan. 22 under Republic Act No. 10168, also known as the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012, which prompted their bail petition.
They face prison terms of 12 to 18 years under Philippine anti-terrorism laws and have been detained since Feb. 7, 2020.
