Conviction of Frenchie Mae and Marielle, A Repression of Civic Space

The Defend NGOs Alliance strongly denounces the conviction of community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio and lay worker Marielle Domequil, a ruling that lays bare how the Philippine justice system has been weaponized to criminalize dissent, silence truth tellers, and terrorize civil society into submission.

This conviction is not justice. It is repression dressed up as due process. Frenchie Mae and Marielle have been deprived of their freedom for nearly six years through fabricated charges, prolonged detention, and relentless vilification. Their case has long been exposed by human rights organizations as one built on planted evidence, coercion, and sweeping allegations of terrorism financing that collapse under scrutiny. Yet the court chose to side with a narrative of fear than facts, sending a chilling warning to journalists, NGOs, and community workers across the country.

“What happened to Frenchie Mae and Marielle is what the state wants to happen to all of us. This ruling is meant to exhaust organizations, break solidarity, and force silence through punishment. It is meant to tell NGOs that documenting abuses, serving marginalized communities, and speaking truth to power will cost them their freedom. It is meant to normalize use of counterterrorism laws as tools of political persecution”, says Defend NGOs Spokesperson Jazmin “Minet” Jerusalem.

“We reject this intimidation. We reject a system that protects abusers while criminalizing those who expose injustice. We call out the Philippine government for speaking for reforms abroad but jails journalists and development workers at home”, says Jerusalem.

The conviction comes despite years of international concern, dismissed forfeiture cases, and clear evidence of state misconduct during the arrest and prosecution of Frenchie Mae and Marielle.

This is not an isolated miscarriage of justice. It is part of a broader campaign against NGOs, people’s organizations, and independent media, carried out through red tagging, surveillance, judicial harassment, and the misuse of laws on terrorism and money laundering. The conviction strengthens a climate where repression is rewarded and impunity is entrenched.

Defend NGOs stand firmly with Frenchie Mae Cumpio and Marielle Domequil. We stand with their families, their colleagues, and all those who continue to resist and assert people’s rights despite the risks. “This ruling will not silence us. It only exposes a system that fears accountability and punishes those who dare to demand it, asserts Jerusalem.

“Tuloy ang laban. We will continue to defend civic space, assert our rights, and resist the criminalization of our work. No conviction will stop the struggle for press freedom, social justice, and genuine democracy”, Jerusalem said.#