“We are the only international visitors so far allowed by the Philippine government to visit,” the United Nations Special Rapporteur for freedom of expression and opinion Irene Khan posted in her X, formerly Twitter.
The UN expert visited community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio along with KARAPATAN human rights worker Alexander Philip Abinguna, and Rural Missionaries of the Philippines finance officer Marielle Domequil detained in Tacloban City Jail on January 27.
The three were among the Tacloban 5 arrested on February 7, 2020 in a similar pattern of police pre-raid dawn followed by an alleged firearms and explosives raps transpired in the Eastern Vista’s office where Cumpio leads as the editor-in-chief.
Khan is in the Philippines from January 23 to February 2 to conduct an examination and dialogue with rights groups, media networks, and civil society organizations (CSOs) in the situation of rights to freedom of opinion and expression in the country.
Her first day on her official visit coincides with Cumpio’s 25th birthday on January 23. Altermidya network along with student journalists and media groups rallied in front of the Department of Justice on the same day to call for the immediate release of Cumpio.
Prior to the incident, Cumpio and the two human rights defenders were subjected to intense red-tagging and surveillance due to their advocacy work. In fact, shortly after their detention, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) accused them of being high-ranking officials and financing operatives of the Communist Party of the Philippines – New Peoples Army (CPP-NPA) in their region.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines welcomed the visit of Khan to the Philippines, adding that the three should not wait any minute longer to be free as the evidences.
NUJP noted the Tacloban 5 incident especially with Cumpio’s arrest would also be the start of a pattern following the arrests of journalists like Paghimutad Negros correspondent and labor organizer Anne Krueger and Manila Today editor Lady Ann Salem who suffered the same fate.
Like Cumpio, Both Krueger and Salem were arrested via pre-raid dawn based on a search warrant issued by a Quezon City executive judge Cecilyn Burgos-Villavert. Villavert was dubbed the factory search warrant queen by rights groups following the fabricated narrative to legalize the arrests of activists and journalists in Negros and Manila, with Krueger being part of the Negros 57 while Salem in Human Rights Day 7.
Last January 19, protest actions were held both in Quezon and Bacolod City in time for the pre-trial of Krueger to call for the dismissal of charges. On the same day, Krueger’s legal counsel said the pre-trial was rescheduled to October 11.
Salem, on the other hand, had her case dismissed in March 2021. However, the government through the Office of the Solicitor General continued to appeal to open the case for retrial that is now pending at the Supreme Court.
Both Krueger and Salem still suffer from red-tagging, surveillance and threats even if they were out in jail.
“The network shares the call of community journalists and human rights workers in demanding an end to threats and red-tagging against journalists and human rights defenders throughout the country. It reiterates its demand to hold accountable those who continue to incite violence and spread false information against journalists, critics, and citizens working to uphold free expression and other fundamental rights in the Philippines,” said Altermidya in a statement.
Khan’s comprehensive report of findings and recommendations will go on to the upcoming 59th session of Human Rights Council.
