“Every abusive prosecution, every arbitrary detention, and every law misused against the press undermines not only the freedom to report but also the public’s right to access information.”
CAGAYAN DE ORO — The case of detained Tacloban-based journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio was cited in the recent report released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) pertaining to the weaponization of national security against journalists around the world.
The report titled “National Security as a Weapon Against Journalism” exemplifies how the concept of national security went far beyond its original purpose and became a tool of repression against journalism.
Anne Bocandé, RSF editorial director, compared the case of Cumpio to to journalists Turki al-Jasser in Saudi Arabia and Zhang Zhan in China—all reportedly prosecuted in the name of national security between 2020 and 2026.
The criminalization of journalism is also reflected in the 2026 Press Freedom Index, where, of all indicators, the legal index has severely declined, notably in more than 60 percent of the surveyed countries and territories (110 out of 180) between 2025 and 2026.
Cumpio has been detained since her arrest in February 2020, especially after she and her co-accused, church worker Marielle Domequil, were convicted in January this year for allegedly financing the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
These revolutionary groups, including the CPP’s political wing, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), were domestically designated as terrorist organizations by the state.
When Tacloban City Regional Trial Court Branch 45 Judge Georgina Uy-Perez denied the accused’s admission to bail, she stated that the interest of the government—safeguarding the public and fighting terrorism as it claimed—outweighed the interest of the accused for provisional liberty, saying that the case of Cumpio is connected to national security.
Lawyers of Cumpio questioned the ruling, prompting them to file a petition for certiorari before the Court of Appeals in May.
TIMELINE: The prolonged detention of Filipino journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio
Bocandé said the excessive use of national security powers is not confined to authoritarian regimes, but is also evident in democratic countries.
She also noted that the concept of national security has expanded, saying that apart from using accusations of terrorism, conspiracy, and acting against national interests as legal grounds for prosecuting journalists, they also became weapons to discredit the press in the public.
For Avon Ang, national coordinator of the People’s Alternative Media Network (Altermidya), accusing Filipino community journalists as NPA members or terrorists has been the “easiest excuse” to prevent them from pursuing stories that could affect local communities.
“It really has a chilling effect. However, at the same time, the capacity of journalists to respond to these kinds of attacks has increased,” Ang told PumaPodcast in an earlier interview.
The RSF editorial director said that national security should never be a pretext to silence journalists. “Every abusive prosecution, every arbitrary detention, and every law misused against the press undermines not only the freedom to report but also the public’s right to access information.” (RVO)
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