SIGN-ON STATEMENT
Urgent Call for the Release of Chantal Anicoche

We, the undersigned organizations, networks, and individuals from different countries urgently call for the immediate and unconditional release of Chantal Anicoche from the custody of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Her continued detention and the lack of transparent information regarding her condition constitute serious violations of her rights and place her safety at grave risk.

Chantal was reported missing following indiscriminate aerial bombings and military operations on January 1, 2026 in Barangay Cabacao, Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro. Reports now indicate that Chantal is being held by units under the 203rd Infantry Brigade of the Philippine Army. To date, authorities have failed to fully disclose her whereabouts and condition, while restricting humanitarian and fact-finding efforts in the area. Her continued detention under these conditions is causing severe distress and anxiety for her and her family and places her at serious risk of prolonged interrogation, harassment, intimidation, or other forms of abuse by the AFP.

We are deeply concerned that the AFP may attempt to misrepresent the circumstances of Chantal's arrest or presence in Mindoroto justify her illegal detention. Such narratives have been repeatedly used in counterinsurgency operations to criminalize civilians, humanitarian workers, human rights and environmental defenders, and must not be allowed to obscure the truth or deny Chantal her rights.

Chantal is a 24-year-old Filipina community leader from the United States, a recent B.S. Psychology graduate and a respected leader of the Filipino American Student Association (FASA). She was in the province of Occidental Mindoro seeking to learn from and stand in solidarity with Mangyan-Iraya Indigenous communities whose lives and livelihoods are increasingly threatened by environmental destruction and militarization. Her work reflects a commitment shared by many young people to understand and support grassroots struggles for the environment, ancestral domains, and justice in the Philippines.

Abra de Ilog is an area in the province facing intensifying environmental threats, including large-scale mining operations, proposed energy and infrastructure projects, and the long-standing displacement of indigenous and peasant communities from their ancestral lands. These projects, promoted in the name of development, have historically been accompanied by militarization, red-tagging, and repression of communities, organizations and individuals who assert their rights to land, livelihood, and self-determination.

The military operations in Barangay Cabacao on January 1 involved aerial bombings, helicopter strafing, and the deployment of multiple battalions. These attacks, which are part of US-driven counter-insurgency measures in the Philippines by the Marcos regime, resulted in the killing of three Mangyan-Iraya children, the death of youth researcher Jerlyn Rose Doydora, injuries to civilians, forced evacuations, and widespread trauma. Such acts constitute grave violations of International Humanitarian Law, particularly the devastating impact of military activities in civilian and indigenous communities.

In light of these, we demand:

1. The immediate and unconditional release of Chantal Anicoche and her safe return to her family.
   
2. Full respect for her rights, including freedom from torture, interrogation, threats, harassment, and intimidation.
   
3. A swift, independent, and impartial investigation by the Commission on Human Rights and other international organizations monitoring human rights and International Humanitarian Law into the Mindoro bombings, civilian deaths, and Chantal’s detention.
   
4. The immediate cessation of aerial bombings and military operations in civilian communities and the withdrawal of military forces from Mindoro.
   
5. Unhampered access for humanitarian, medical, and fact-finding missions and support to affected communities.

We stand in solidarity with Chantal Anicoche, her family and colleagues, and the communities of Mindoro. Defending the environment, ancestral domains and human rights must be supported and advocates should not be attacked and hindered from their work.