INDEED, journalism is not a crime — but terrorism financing is. It is not church work. It is not human rights advocacy. No one is being convicted for dissent. No one is being punished for free speech. The conviction was for financing a terrorist organization — plain and simple. You do not launder terror funds and then hide behind press freedom or the Bible.
“Presiding Judge Georgina Uy Perez of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 45 in Tacloban City found Marielle A. Domequil and Frenchie Mae C. Cumpio guilty beyond reasonable doubt of violating Section 8(iii) of Republic Act No. 10168, or the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012. Both Domequil and Cumpio were sentenced to imprisonment ranging from a minimum of 12 years to a maximum of 18 years and ordered to pay a fine of ₱500,000 each.”
The court relied on the testimonies of multiple eyewitnesses and overwhelming physical evidence to convict Domequil and Cumpio of conspiring and confederating to provide funds and ammunition to the CPP-NPA-NDF — an internationally designated terrorist organization. The evidence showed the transfer of ₱100,000 in cash, two boxes of .45-caliber ammunition, 12 shotgun shells, and various clothing items to armed rebels in San Andres, Catbalogan City, Samar on March 29, 2019.
The conviction was anchored on sworn testimonies, financial records, and material facts that demonstrated the deliberate handling and facilitation of resources for a terrorist organization. That is precisely what the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act criminalizes: the act of providing, collecting, or channeling funds or resources to groups designated as terrorists.
As expected, both accused claimed to be a journalist and a church worker — an excuse that has grown rather stale. They might as well have said they were beauty pageant consultants.
Frenchie Cumpio claimed she was a community journalist and radio broadcaster, while Marielle Domequil identified herself as a church lay worker.
However, during the preliminary investigation conducted by the Department of Justice’s main office in Manila, witnesses testified that the accused served as finance officers of so-called human rights organizations, including Gabriela.
During trial, the prosecution established that the accused were not merely a journalist and a lay worker, but finance officers of the Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee (EVRPC), the regional arm of the CPP-NPA-NDF in Eastern Visayas. Evidence showed that, in their capacity as finance officers, they facilitated the delivery of cash and ammunition to CPP-NPA-NDF members in March 2019 — the very acts that formed the basis of the indictment.
Perhaps they were indeed journalists and church workers moonlighting as finance officers of the CPP-NPA-NDF — or vice versa. These days, having two jobs seems to be fashionable.
There is someone I know who works for an international animal welfare NGO and, in her spare time, performs as an exotic showgirl in one of Manila’s high-end gentlemen’s clubs.
Predictably, the usual suspects — pseudo-communists and so-called human rights groups, both local and international — threw their familiar tantrums. Frankly, their outrage has become boring.
Claims that the conviction is “unjust,” “manufactured,” or the product of “military-controlled” witnesses are nothing more than desperate propaganda. The defense had every opportunity to challenge the credibility of witnesses, rebut the financial trail, and dismantle the prosecution’s theory. They failed. The court weighed both sides and ruled accordingly.
Let us be clear: terrorism financing is not journalism. It is not church work. It is not human rights advocacy. No one is being convicted for dissent. No one is being punished for free speech. They were convicted for financing a terrorist organization — plain and simple. You do not launder terror funds and then hide behind press freedom or the Bible.
To those who claim this ruling is meant to “intimidate journalists and human rights workers,” that is a lie designed to shield criminal liability with moral blackmail. Terrorism financing is a crime in every civilized country.
At the end of the day, the principle remains simple: you do not launder terror funds and then hide behind press freedom or the Bible./PN
