THE National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) said Thursday that allowing former senator Bong Revilla to post bail while permitting the continued detention of community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio and human rights worker Marielle Domequil is a blatant display of double standard in the country's judicial system.
Revilla was accused of malversation of public funds in connection with an alleged P92.8 million flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan.
In January 2026, a Tacloban court convicted Cumpio and Domequil of financing terrorism, sentencing them to prison terms of 12 to 18 years.
“The NUPL does not oppose bail as a safeguard of liberty; every accused person, Revilla included, is entitled to have the evidence against them tested according to law. We also recognize that the procedural frameworks governing these cases differ: Revilla sought bail before conviction, where the prosecution bears the burden of showing that the evidence of guilt is strong, while Cumpio and Domequil seek bail pending appeal, governed by a stricter standard under Rule 114,” the NUPL said in a statement.
“Yet, this procedural distinction does not erase the profound material inequality shaping these outcomes. Revilla confronts prosecution armed with the wealth, resources, and institutional access of a former senator and political dynasty. Cumpio and Domequil are compelled to defend themselves from within a jail cell, enduring years of stigmatization and forced separation from their families and communities,” it added.
The Sandiganbayan granted Revilla's petition for bail on the malversation charge for lack of strong evidence against the accused.
The NUPL said that there was “profound material inequality” regarding the decisions, noting that the means of vindicating rights are vastly unequal.
“Rights may be equal in the statutes, but the means of vindicating them are vastly unequal. The politically powerful can mobilize the resources necessary to exploit every weakness in the prosecution’s case. Those targeted by state-sponsored red-tagging are forced to bear the heavy burden of mounting their defense while deprived of their liberty,” it said.
