Rights groups condemn AFP bombing, raise alarm over missing Fil-Am

By Juliane Judilla

OCCIDENTAL MINDORO — Philippine- and U.S.-based rights organizations condemned a Jan. 1 military operation by the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Barangay Cabacao, Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro, alleging civilian deaths, mass displacement, and the disappearance of a Filipino-American community leader.

In a joint statement issued Jan. 6, Bagong Alya sang Makabayan–USA and Migrante–USA said the AFP deployed at least four attack helicopters that dropped multiple aerial bombs and conducted prolonged strafing in the area.

The groups said the operation affected peasant households and Indigenous Mangyan communities and constituted a violation of international humanitarian law.

The AFP has said the operation followed an encounter with the New People’s Army, or NPA.

Rights groups disputed the claim, citing the NPA’s publicly declared ceasefire from Dec. 25, 2025, to Jan. 1, 2026.

According to the organizations, the attack killed three Mangyan children, injured at least one adult, and displaced 188 families.

They also reported the deaths of at least two student researchers staying in the community for fieldwork.

One of them, identified as Jerlyn Rose Doydora, reportedly died from illness while attempting to flee the area amid the bombardment.

Rights monitors cited by the groups said at least 16,733 individuals were victims of alleged human rights abuses in Mindoro from January to November 2025.

The organizations also raised concern over the disappearance of Chantal Anicoche, a 24-year-old Filipino-American community leader who was reportedly in Abra de Ilog during the military operation.

“Until now, Chantal remains missing,” the statement said.

Anicoche recently graduated with a psychology degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and previously served as a leader of the university’s Filipino American Student Association.

Colleagues and family members said she traveled to the Philippines to learn from Indigenous communities and participate in volunteer and relief activities related to environmental disasters and rural poverty.

They said Anicoche previously worked as a public school substitute teacher and was involved in advocacy supporting farmers’ and Indigenous peoples’ rights, including the Philippine Human Rights Act campaign in the United States.

The groups alleged that the AFP and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict restricted access to the area, preventing fact-finding missions and humanitarian assistance.

They said the restrictions have also hindered efforts by Anicoche’s family and supporters to determine her whereabouts and condition.

Bayan USA and Migrante USA called for Anicoche’s immediate surfacing, an independent investigation into the Abra de Ilog operation, and unimpeded access for humanitarian and fact-finding teams.

“We demand the immediate surfacing of Chantal, whose whereabouts and condition are most certainly being covered up by the Philippine military to avoid public condemnation,” the statement said.

The groups also urged the Philippine government to lift military restrictions in Mindoro and review the role of foreign military assistance in ongoing counterinsurgency operations.