Surface Chantal Anicoche!
Defend Mindoro! Stop the bombings!
We are enraged to learn that 24 year-old Chantal Anicoche, a Filipino-American former student leader based in Baltimore and steadfast advocate for the Philippines, was attacked by the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
In blatant violation of international humanitarian law, the AFP launched an aerial bombing campaign on a civilian indigenous community on January 1, 2026 in Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro, where Chantal was staying as a researcher. She remains missing to this day.
We are raising the alarm to Filipinos in the United States and Chantal’s community in Baltimore and beyond. The Philippine government, through the AFP and the falsely titled “National Taskforce to End Local Communist Armed Conflict,” have enforced a blockade in Abra de Ilog to cover up the bombing and strafing the military perpetrated, as well as the deaths of three indigenous Mangyan-Iraya youth and student researcher, Jerlyn Doydoya. The Marcos administration and its military have instituted an information blackout to prevent media and human rights groups from coming in and information from coming out of Abra de Ilog, including Chantal’s whereabouts.
To the Marcos government, Malaya Movement USA demands that your mercenaries in the military, police, and NTF-ELCAC:
Surface Chantal Anicoche
Lift the information blockade
Allow human rights organizations to enter and conduct a fact-finding mission
Cease the bombings and strafing, and all violations of International Humanitarian Law.
Malaya Movement USA calls on its members, allies, and all people of conscience to join us in the effort to ensure Chantal’s surfacing.
Chantal is an example of someone who understands that change takes risks, and she puts that wholeheartedly into practice. She was one of the advocates behind the push to pass the Philippine Human Rights Act to ensure the rights of Indigenous peoples, farmers, and all peoples are respected. True to her commitment for a better Philippines, she chose to immerse with rural and indigenous communities to learn from and help conduct relief work with those most impacted by environmental disasters and poverty.
Chantal is an inspiration to all of us: as human rights advocates demanding an end to war crimes, as youth and students using our education to better our communities, as migrants fighting for dignity as workers, and as an entire diaspora that wishes to see our people free. Let us use that inspiration in our fight to surface Chantal!
TAKE ACTION
Join the January 8 Global Day of Action in a city near you.
Release statements of support and encourage your network to do the same
Gather signatures from organizations and community members for our petition: tinyurl.com/chantal-petition
Engage in legislative advocacy: tinyurl.com/chantal-advocacy-toolkit
Sign the petition regarding Julie Jamora's blacklisting and help us reach 5,000+: tinyurl.com/petition4julie
Study our Labanan ang Pasismo Primer: malayamovement.com/labanan
