KARAPATAN condemns the continuing judicial harassment against its detained Eastern Visayas human rights worker Alexander Philip Abinguña and community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio, and the questionable role played by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in Region 8 in such harassment.
Abinguña and Cumpio have been slapped with additional trumped-up charges of double murder and multiple attempted murder in connection with an alleged ambush by the New People’s Army on October 18, 2019 in Barangay Sumoroy, Palapag, Northern Samar where two paramilitary personnel were killed.
“These additional trumped up charges are clearly being levelled against Abinguña and Cumpio to prolong their unjust detention,” said KARAPATAN secretary general Cristina Palabay.
“And while charges like these are commonly resorted to by the military to incriminate activists and accuse them of being armed rebels,” said Palabay, “it is very disappointing to see the CHR in Region 8 acting in tandem with the military in giving credence to such preposterous and fabricated charges.”
Abinguña and Cumpio, who were arrested with humanitarian worker Marielle Domequil in a raid on their office in Tacloban City in February 2020, are facing these charges on top of bogus charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives and terrorism financing.
In February 2025, the CHR in Region 8 began a motu propio on the alleged role of Abinguña and Cumpio in the killing of the two paramilitaries.
“The CHR initiated this investigation on its own, more than five years after the alleged ambush, and around the same time that the courts decided to issue warrants against the two for these cases,” said Palabay. “This clearly forms part of state reprisal against them, especially after prominent personalities, including Irene Khan, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, have called for their release,” she added.
Reports have also surfaced that Frenchie Mae and Marielle Domequil have been experiencing serious delays in the provision of medical attention, the processing of consent forms for trial monitoring, and the approval of visits from media and diplomatic representatives. They have also been denied their right to confidential communication with their legal counsel.
“We urge the CHR national office to look into the conduct of its regional office in Eastern Visayas,” said Palabay. “Instead of investigating the numerous violations of the three’s civil and political rights even before their arrest on trumped-up charges as well as reports on threats and harassment of peasants in the communities, the regional CHR in this case seems to be going out of its way to worsen the harassment against Abinguña and Cumpio,” Palabay said.