By PAJO ALBANO
Bulatlat.com

MANILA – The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has opened an investigation into the alleged mistreatment of journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio and lay worker Marielle Domequil at the Tacloban City Jail Female Dormitory.

The move comes after Altermidya submitted to the CHR and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) a complaint against the jail warden over violations of Cumpio and Domequil’s rights, which include prolonged medical neglect, surveillance, and restrictions on legal and visitation rights. 

In a recent statement, CHR said it had tasked its Regional Office VIII with investigating the case and is now coordinating with jail authorities to ensure accountability and compliance with domestic and international standards.

The Commission reminded the state of its obligations under the United Nations Convention Against Torture and its Optional Protocol, which require humane treatment of persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) and safeguard against inhumane or degrading conditions.

Cumpio and Domequil have been detained since the Feb. 7, 2020 midnight police raid, and are facing charges of illegal possession of firearms and financing terrorism—allegations widely condemned by rights groups as politically motivated and lacking credible evidence.

According to CHR, the two detainees have faced repeated delays in medical attention, slow processing of trial monitoring documents, and blocked access to visits by lawyers, journalists, and diplomats.

Family members and support networks further stated that their private letters were either censored or withheld, and that confidential meetings with their legal counsel were denied.

CHR said the case reflects broader systemic failures in the country’s detention facilities and reiterated its call for the establishment of a “National Preventive Mechanism”, an independent body tasked with preventing torture and ill-treatment in jails.

The agency also highlighted its Bantay Bilangguan campaign, which pushes for reforms to strengthen detainee protections nationwide.

In the complaint filed by Altermidya on July 16, the group accused jail warden J/Insp. Eva Naputo of “repressive treatment” toward Cumpio and Domequil. The complaint cited repeated denial of medical attention, the blocking of legal counsel access, and obstruction of visits from the press and diplomatic missions.

“It’s not just excessive restrictions; even basic rights like healthcare are not being provided promptly,” Altermidya national chairperson Raymund Villanueva said in Filipino in a report.

He also pointed to reports of censored personal letters and bureaucratic delays in processing trial consent forms due to the warden’s slow approval.

Marielle Domequil’s sister, Kyle, said that following Altermidya’s complaint, jail officials questioned the detainees but continued to deny any wrongdoing.

“She’s just washing her hands of it, even with complaints filed at the BJMP and CHR,” Kyle said in Filipino in a similar report by Altermidya.

She added that this was not the first time complaints were raised against Naputo, noting that CHR Region VIII previously visited the jail over unresolved issues, including a broken roof left unfixed despite repeated appeals from detainees.

“In the three years I’ve been visiting my sister, this is the first time we’ve experienced anything like this,” she said in Filipino.

Kyle called on the BJMP to relieve Naputo and [Chief Unit Intelligence Officer] Canayong, and to investigate broader issues of discrimination, visitation rights, and treatment of all PDLs.

“If they want a jail that is pro-people and pro-PDL, they should start with a real investigation and listen to the people inside—not just those they choose to hear,” she added.

Cumpio’s case has gained international attention as a textbook example of red-tagging—a practice in which state forces label activists and journalists as insurgents to justify legal harassment.

Fabricated

A July exposé by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) described the case as “fabricated,” citing inconsistencies in police reports, planted evidence, and questionable witness statements.

A photo from the raid, reviewed by RSF, showed a pistol, grenade, and Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) flag staged on Cumpio’s bed—an image the journalist said was set up by police minutes after breaking down their apartment door.

“Even real guerrillas don’t sleep with guns and explosives under their pillows,” a journalist familiar with the case told RSF.

One witness, Marjie R., claimed she met Cumpio at activist meetings in 2008—when Cumpio was only nine years old.

Another, Alma G., admitted she had no personal contact with Cumpio but testified anyway to give “context” about the New People’s Army.

RSF reported that Alma was facing 17 cases, mostly for murder, which were dropped after she agreed to become a government witness in multiple similar cases.

She is now under military protection, the same military accused of surveilling and targeting Cumpio.

The surveillance dossier includes claims that Cumpio carried firearms and took part in two ambushes, yet there is no photo, video, or documentation to support any of it.

One report claimed she was seen with three of the country’s most wanted fugitives, including CPP leaders Wilma and Benito Tiamzon, yet no arrests were made during the alleged encounter.

The apartment she shared with Domequil, described in the reports as a rebel hideout, was in fact located just 50 meters from a police station on a commercial street in Tacloban.

United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression Irene Khan has described the case as a “parody of justice.”

In her 2024 report to the UN Human Rights Council, Khan urged the Philippine government to address the prolonged detention of Cumpio, Domequil, and their co-accused, human rights worker Alexander Abinguna.

Two days before the raid, Abinguna had already filed a warning with CHR about possible evidence planting and even taped a sign on his office door that read: “Planting evidence is prohibited here.”

Cumpio had also reportedly told colleagues that she was under surveillance and feared being targeted.

More than five years later, she remains behind bars with trial proceedings still ongoing. If convicted, she could face up to 40 years in prison.

The CHR assured the families of Cumpio, Domequil, and Abinguna that it remains committed to a full and impartial investigation.

“Justice and the rule of law demand a prompt resolution to this case. We remain steadfast in advocating for the rights of Frenchie Mae Cumpio, Marielle Domequil, and all persons deprived of liberty,” the CHR said. (AMU, RVO)