The Detention of Chantal Anicoche

A few days ago, an activist friend told me about the recent detention of the Filipina American activist Chantal Anicoche by the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The Filipino activist group Malaya Movement wrote in their website (https://www.malayamovement.com/statements/surface-chantal) that Chantal was on the scene when the Armed Forces of the Philippines launched an aerial bombing campaign on a civilian indigenous community on January 1, 2026 in Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro.

According a statement by the National Union of Peoples' Lawyers (https://nupl.net/statement-on-the-afp-bombing-of-mindoro-and-the-enforc…), credible reports show that the attack killed three Mangyan children, injured their mother, and forcibly displaced at least 188 families. Student researcher Jerlyn Rose Doydora was reportedly killed while fleeing the bombardment.

Anicoche was missing until January 9 when the Philippine military admitted that they had her in custody.

Several human rights groups, including Migrante International, Karapatan and Bayan USA, question the military's narrative of how Anicoche came into her custody (https://www.bulatlat.com/2026/01/09/rights-groups-question-militarys-na…). They note that the military often uses trumped up charges to silence individuals who witness government crimes.

These groups demand that Chantal Anicoche have legal counsel to know her rights and her immediate release from military custody.

Here's a youtube video on how I created the cartoon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A083qVElwAY

REFERENCES
"Rights groups question military’s narrative on Fil-Am activist Chantal Anicoche" by Justin Umali for Bulatlat
https://www.bulatlat.com/2026/01/09/rights-groups-question-militarys-na…

"Surface Chantal Anicoche!" a statement by The Malaya Movement
https://www.malayamovement.com/statements/surface-chantal

"Statement on the AFP Bombing of Mindoro and the Enforced Disappearance of Chantal Anicoche" a press release by the National Union of Peoples' Lawyers
https://nupl.net/statement-on-the-afp-bombing-of-mindoro-and-the-enforc…

"Desaparecidos demands surfacing of two women" by National Dispatch for Bulatlat
https://www.bulatlat.com/2026/01/08/desaparecidos-demands-surfacing-of-…

"Maryland woman doing humanitarian work in Philippines is in military custody, her friends say" by Tara Lynch for CBS News
https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/umbc-chantal-anicoche-maryland-p…

"Stop the Bombings and Militarization in Resource-Rich Mindoro Island" by the Center for Environmental Concerns- Philippines
https://www.cecphils.org/stop-the-bombings-and-militarization-in-resour…