By ALELI MADRIGAL
Bulatlat.com
MANILA—Four days before detained community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio is set to testify in court, church workers, journalists, and human rights activists showed their support through an ecumenical gathering at the Boy Scout Circle, Quezon City on Nov. 7.
“Frenchie Mae is an instrument so that the struggles and pleas of rural and poor people would be amplified,” said Rev. Irma Balaba of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines.
Prior to her arrest, Cumpio exposed the impact of militarization in many Eastern Visayas farming communities as a result of Memorandum No. 32 which increased police and military deployment in regions such as Bicol, Eastern Visayas, and Negros.
Cumpio is one of the five human rights activists arrested during a joint police and military operations in Tacloban City, Leyte on the early morning of Feb. 7, 2020.
Tagged as Tacloban 5, Cumpio was arrested along with activists Marielle Domequil, Alexander Philip “Chakoy” Abinguna, Mira Legion, and Marissa Cabaljao on alleged trumped-up charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives, filed by the Philippine National Police.
Read: ‘Tacloban 5’ imprisoned for still demanding justice 6 years after Typhoon Yolanda
“Those perpetrators will surely face hideous consequences. Evil and lies will never prosper. Those who harass the poor and people fighting for their rights will not succeed,” Balaba said.
Importance of truth-telling
For church workers participating in the ecumenical gathering, truth-telling is important to their faith. “We will never know how to respond until truth is served. It is through press freedom that the church can take a stance and express,” Rev. Mario Balawag, also from UCCP, said.
During the program, church workers rang bells as they called for Cumpio’s release.
The bells drew inspiration from ‘Lingganay Han Kamatuoran’ (or ‘Bells of Truth’ in Waray), a radio program Cumpio hosted at DYVL AksyonRadyo.
“I hope the sound of our ringing bells reaches Frenchie. May she remember that the Tacloban 5 is not alone in their fight for truth and justice,” said Altermidya Chairperson Raymund Villanueva in his speech. He noted that Cumpio is the youngest detained journalist in the world.
The activity is part of their remembrance of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists.
“If truth is hidden from sight, faith remains unfulfilled. Truth allows faith to bear fruit, which is why it is only an imperative to stand for what is true,” Balawag said.
Update on the case
On Monday, Cumpio is set to testify on the allegations of illegal possession of firearms and explosives, and finance terrorism.
Villanueva said that Cumpio should not worry as many are praying for her and the rest of the Tacloban 5.
Read: Journo spends birthday in jail as media groups demand her release anew
Aside from being a radio news anchor, she used to work at Eastern Vista as executive director.
During the arrest, Cumpio was labeled as a high-ranking New People’s Army (NPA) leader by the 8th Infantry Division. While being imprisoned, Cumpio and lay worker Domequil were charged with a non-bailable case of terrorist financing under the Anti-Terrorism law. This was about the money supposedly found during their arrest.
“Laws on terrorist financing and anti-terrorism are weaponized to persecute critics of the government by keeping them in jail. And these are the worst crimes of injustice that the state could commit in a supposedly democratic country,” Villanueva said. “That is why we should be aware of our rights and stand against these injustices. If Cumpio and Domequil who have voices to speak for being a journalist and a church worker respectfully are already being persecuted by weaponized laws, how can an ordinary Filipino seek justice for himself?”
Balaba added, “With our collective action, prayers, and fulfillment of our responsibilities in the sector we are called and belong to, may we build a society that is genuinely free, just, and peaceful. May our God of justice unite us to perseveringly seek a life that is full, not only for a few but for all of us.”
Read: UN expert Irene Khan visits journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio, companions in jail
Read: Media groups urge DOJ to release journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio, 2 others
Read: Women journos call for release of detained broadcaster Frenchie Mae Cumpio
At the same time that her trial at the Tacloban Regional Trial Court happens on Monday, a protest action will be held at the Department of Justice in Manila to demand that charges against the Tacloban 5 be dropped. (JJE, RTS, DAA)
