(June 19, 2025) – United Nations Special Rapporteur Irene Khan has urged the Philippine government to immediately free community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio, who has been behind bars for over five years on charges of illegal firearms possession.
In her official report following a visit to the Philippines last year, Khan said she was “deeply disappointed” that Cumpio, along with human rights advocates Mariel Domequil and Alexander Philip Abinguna, has remained in detention since their arrest in February 2020.
“[We are] deeply disappointed that the three individuals, who were in their early twenties when they were arrested, have languished in detention for more than four years,” read the report.
Cumpio, Domequil, and Abinguna were arrested on February 7, 2020 during police raids on what authorities claimed were communist safe houses. The three were charged with possessing illegal firearms and explosives.
They also face accusations of terrorism financing, with the Anti-Money Laundering Council alleging that P557,360 seized during the raid was intended for the New People’s Army.
“Promptly release Ms. Cumpio, Ms. Domequil and Mr. Abinguna and, considering the circumstances of their arrests and the time that they have already spent in detention, dismiss the charges brought against them as manifestly unfounded,” added Khan.
Several press groups, including the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), AlterMidya, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), and Free Press Unlimited have all urged the government to drop the charges and end what they described as Cumpio’s unjust detention.
“Her prolonged imprisonment on bogus charges is a deliberate attempt to intimidate the press in the Philippines. We call on President Marcos Jr. and the Secretary of Justice to immediately release her, drop all charges, and bring an end to this injustice at last,” said RSF’s Asia-Pacific Bureau advocacy manager, Aleksandra Bielakowska, in a statement.
The Philippines dropped two places in the latest press freedom index released by the RSF, citing continued harassment and attacks on media workers.
The NUJP also noted that between July 2022 and April 2024, it documented 135 cases of attacks or threats against journalists — more than those recorded during the first 22 months of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s term.
Our Privacy Commitment
TV5 Network Inc. values and respects your privacy. We are committed to safeguarding your personal data in compliance with Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and its implementing rules and regulations.
We have developed a Privacy Policy that adopts and observes appropriate standards for personal data protection. While our Privacy Policy sets out the general principles governing the collection, use, and disclosure of our users’ personal information, our Privacy Commitment seeks to inform you more about TV5’s privacy practices.
Why do we collect your personal information (as applicable)?
We may collect and maintain basic information about you as site user of TV5 sites for the following purposes:
Where do we get your personal information?
There are several ways we collect your personal information.
Information that you personally provided.
Most of the personal information we have are those that you have provided us when you:
Information we collect during your engagement with us
We also collect information as you use our products and services, like:
Information we collect from other sources
Other means of collection of information may be through:
When do we disclose personal information?
There may be instances when we are required to share the information you provided us. In such cases, we ensure that your personal information will be disclosed on a confidential manner, through secure channels and in compliance with the Data Privacy Act and other privacy laws.
We will never share, rent, or sell your personal information to third parties outside of TV5 except in special cases where you have given consent, and in cases described in our privacy policy.
In some instances, we may be required to disclose your personal information to our agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, business partners and other third-party agencies and service providers as part of our regular business operations and for the provision of our programs and services. This means we might share your information with our service providers, contractors, and professional advisers who help us provide our services.
How we protect your personal information
The integrity, confidentiality, and security of your information is important to us. We have implemented technical, organizational, and physical security measures that are designed to protect your information from unauthorized or fraudulent access, alteration, disclosure, misuse, and other unlawful activities.
We also put in effect the following safeguards:
TV5 will not collect, use, or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than the purpose that you may have given your consent for.
What are your choices?
We make sure that we have your consent to continue to collect, use, and disclose your personal information for the purposes that we have identified. We want you to know that you may object or withdraw your consent and/or edit your consent preferences at any time.
If you wish to have access to the personal information in our custody or if you think that the personal information you provided is incomplete, or otherwise inaccurate, you may get in touch with our Data Protection Officer through the contact details provided below. In some instances, we may request for supporting documents or proof before we effect requested changes.
Data Protection Officer
TV5 Network Inc.
Reliance corner Sheridan Streets
Mandaluyong City
tv5dataprivacy@tv5.com.ph
What happens when there are changes in our Policy?
From time to time, we may update our privacy policy and practices to comply with changes in applicable laws and regulatory requirements, adapt to new technologies and protocols, and align with the best practices of the industry.
You will be provided notices if the changes are significant and, if we are required by law, we will obtain your updated consent.