We demand the immediate and unconditional acquittal of independent journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio and lay community worker Marielle “Maye” Domequil, who are facing fabricated charges of “illegal possession of firearms and explosives” and “financing terrorism.” Nearly six years after their arbitrary detention, their verdicts are set to be announced tomorrow, January 22, 2026.

Cumpio and Domequil were among the five activists arrested in Tacloban on February 7, 2020, in a raided and militarized operation targeting their offices and homes. Later known as the “Tacloban 5,” the activists have been separately but unitingly advocating for press freedom, human rights, and the environment in their respective regions and the whole nation.

Two of the five activists were released on bail shortly after, but Cumpio, Domequil, and Chakoy Abinguna were left to languish in detention. Only last year did the Court of Appeals dismiss the civil forfeiture case linked to the bogus “financing of terrorism” charges, and the Regional Trial Court quashed murder and attempted murder charges against Cumpio, acknowledging the absurdity of these claims. Meanwhile, Chakoy’s similar motion was denied on technical grounds.

The Tacloban 5 case is a clear manifestation of state violence and its attempts to silence dissent. Time has been rotting for the justice Tacloban 5 deserves. Every delay, every procedural stall, every manipulation of the courts is not justice. It is oppression. The prolonged detention of Cumpio and Domequil proves that the regime continues to be indifferent to truth, human rights, and the plight of the oppressed. At the same time, the initial victories Cumpio and Domequil won have proven their innocence from the make-up charges they have been facing behind bars for almost six years now. Owing to the fact that this case has been caught up in the change of administration between Duterte and Marcos, it further manifests that nothing will ever change in fascist regimes that continuously detain, abduct, and even gruesomely murder defenders of the oppressed.

Tomorrow, we demand not only acquittal but a bold stand against the weaponization of the law to suppress voices of dissent. Further, we urge the Marcos administration to deliver its promise of dedication to “protecting [Cumpio’s] rights and upholding due process to ensure a legitimate and lasting resolution.” The freedom of Cumpio, Domequil, and the Tacloban 5 is non-negotiable. Their struggle is our struggle.

We can no longer wait another eternity only to prove that enforcement and justice in the Philippines do nothing but take out the freedom of its people to fight and struggle against those who oppress them. We collectively call to drop all charges against Cumpio, Domequil, and the rest of Tacloban 5.