Against All Terror-Tagging: Free Frenchie Mae and Marielle

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The Defend NGO Alliance affirms the importance of the Court of Appeals’ ruling that struck down the government’s baseless civil forfeiture against community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio and development worker Marielle Domequil. For years, state agencies invoked terrorism financing without presenting a shred of credible evidence against the accused human rights defenders (HRDs). By voiding the forfeiture, the court has exposed the extent to which financial surveillance and anti-terror powers have been weaponized against those who serve and report from the margins. This ruling is more than a legal correction—it is a clear repudiation of the state’s attempts to vilify two women who have only consistently stood with communities struggling for their right to development and justice.

But even as one legal assault has been dismantled, the broader machinery of repression remains in motion. Frenchie Mae continues to suffer unjust detention, and both she and Marielle still face fabricated charges rooted in a platter of what can only be described as abusive operations: questionable warrants, planted evidence, and relentless red-tagging. These tactics are not isolated acts but part of sustained efforts to criminalize grassroots advocacy and silence those who speak truth to power.

The CA’s decision underscores the hollowness of the state’s accusation, yet the very structures that enabled these abuses—with their deep impunity and militarized logic—remain unchallenged.

The Defend NGO Alliance calls for the total dismissal of all remaining charges against Frenchie Mae Cumpio and Marielle Domequil. Their persecution must end. We demand accountability from the state forces and institutions that orchestrated this campaign of harassment under the guise of national security. We stand in full solidarity with Frenchie Mae, Marielle, their families, and all human rights defenders resisting repression in their communities. This ruling is a significant victory, but genuine justice requires their freedom and the dismantling of the systems that made their persecution possible. #