The State has secured a conviction for terrorism financing against members of the Communist Party of the Philippines–New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) following a full-blown trial before the Regional Trial Court (RTC), Branch 45, Tacloban City.
In a decision penned by Presiding Judge Georgina S. Uy-Perez, the court found Frenchie Mae Cumpio and Marielle Domequil guilty of violating Section 8(ii) of Republic Act No. 10168, otherwise known as the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012, for making available funds or properties to the CPP-NPA in Catbalogan City, Samar.
The case was successfully prosecuted by a panel of prosecutors composed of OIC-City Prosecutor Julius P. Babalcon (lead), Assistant City Prosecutor Regina Paredes-Elizarde, Assistant City Prosecutor Geraldine Arica, and Senior Assistant Provincial Prosecutor Dylan Enage, who was later appointed as Municipal Trial Court Judge of Pastrana, Leyte.
The terrorism financing investigation stemmed from the recovery of ₱557,530.00 in cash by the Crime Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) from the accused during the implementation of a search warrant in Tacloban City. Following the seizure, the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) conducted a financial investigation which formed part of the prosecution’s evidence.
During the preliminary investigation conducted by the Department of Justice – Main Office in Manila, witnesses testified that the accused served as finance officers of human rights organizations, including Gabriela. The preliminary investigation was handled by Prosecutors Mary Grace S. Arboladura, Angelica A. Laygo-Francisco, and Jomila May B. Fugaban, before the case was endorsed to the trial panel in Region VIII.
Originally filed in October 2021 with the RTC of Catbalogan City, Samar, the case was later transferred to RTC Branch 45, Tacloban City, the designated Anti-Terror Court for Region VIII. Trial commenced in June 2022.
During trial, the prosecution established that the accused were not merely a journalist and a lay worker, but were in fact finance officers of the Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee (EVRPC), the regional arm of the CPP-NPA in Eastern Visayas. Evidence showed that, in their capacity as finance officers, they facilitated the delivery of cash and ammunition to CPP-NPA members in March 2019, the acts forming the basis of the indictment.
This conviction underscores the DOJ’s continued resolve to enforce the State’s anti-terrorism financing laws and disrupt financial support networks of terrorist organizations.
This conviction also marks another milestone for DOJ's Regional Prosecution Office VIII in the enforcement of anti-terrorism financing laws. A previous conviction under Section 8(ii) of RA 10168 in the region was secured through a plea bargaining agreement, where a barangay official pleaded guilty to the lesser offense of attempted terrorism. Notably, in that earlier case, Cumpio and Domequil were also identified in witness affidavits as CPP-NPA officials.