Jonathan Frederic De Santos

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Chantal Anicoche with soldiers

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/176809836832220260108220136_c0b3f46b9a92eaaa5052fb81b15691f0650717c608e6521a280cd5723f67af08.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">American activist Chantal Anicoche with soldiers. 2nd Infantry Division, Philippine Army media release</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — The military has no basis to hold American activist Chantal Anicoche, whom it says soldiers found near a clash site in Occidental Mindoro earlier in the week, the president of the National Union of People’s Lawyers said Saturday night.</p><p>The Philippine Army&#x27;s 2nd Infantry Division said Friday that Anicoche is a “person of interest” and described her as “cooperating” after reportedly being found more than a week after a clash between troops and the New People’s Army in Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro.</p><p>Lawyer Ephraim Cortez said in a Facebook post on Saturday that under International Humanitarian Law, Anicoche is not a combatant and is a &quot;protected person&quot; because she is a civilian.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/9/army-american-activist-is-person-of-interest-in-mindoro-clash-with-npa-1853">Army: American activist is ‘person of interest’ in Mindoro clash with NPA<br/></a></div><p>“Her mere presence in a conflict area did not make her a legitimate target, and can not be used a basis to place her under military custody,” Cortez said, noting that the 24-year-old Anicoche was alone and unarmed in a video that the military released of her confirming her identity.</p><p>According to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MalayaMovement/posts/pfbid0xUouBbMnytwL6rSpw4zb8YBhnHHuFdLSyBjtYHzRqDenFbiMbGurde6xtsYtvDq8l">Malaya Movement USA</a>, Anicoche was in the Philippines “to learn from the communities that have been hit the hardest by the economic and social crisis in the Philippines.”</p><p>Cortez said Saturday that “at this time, there is no valid and legal basis for her continued detention.”</p><p>Under the Revised Penal Code, persons detained have to be charged or released within 12 to 36 hours, depending on the gravity of the alleged crime.</p><p>“Persons of interest” are not suspects  but who may have information relevant to an investigation.</p><p>“The mere fact that the military considers her a ‘person of interest’ is not a valid ground to detain her without charges,” Cortez also said.</p><p>Anicoche was reported missing after a clash between the military and the NPA in Barangay Cabacao in Abra de Ilog.</p><p>NUPL and other groups had earlier condemned reported military bombing of civilian-populated area, which NUPL chair Edre Olalia said was &quot;patently unlawful.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2026/1/2/army-troops-in-clashes-with-npa-in-occidental-mindoro-were-responding-to-community-reports-1526">Army: Troops in clashes with NPA in Occidental Mindoro were acting on community reports</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>GROUP: CHANTAL MAY HAVE BEEN IN CUSTODY BEFORE OFFICIALLY &#x27;FOUND&#x27;</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Migrants&#x27; rights group Migrante International has meanwhile said the military may have had Anicoche in its custody much earlier than January 8, when she was reported found.</p><p>“Given the military’s overwhelming blockade of Sitio Mamara, the public cannot ascertain whether the videos of the AFP discovering Chantal were staged or otherwise,” the group said.</p><p>The Army has tagged Migrante as among the organizations that facilitated Anicoche’s visit to the Philippines.</p><p>Rights alliance Karapatan, which the Army said &quot;received&quot; Anicoche when she came to the country, said it is worried the armed forces &quot;may attempt to misrepresent the circumstances of Chantal&#x27;s arrest or presence in Mindoro to justify her illegal detention.&quot; </p><p>US-based <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kabataanalliance">Kabataan Alliance</a>, another organization the Army mentioned, said Anicoche is a youth leader who had been “living with farmers and the Mangyan, indigenous peoples in Mindoro, to learn more about their culture, ways of life, and to conduct humanitarian aid missions for the most marginalized in the community” before she was reported missing.</p><p>Army 2nd Infantry Division (2ID) spokesperson Col. Michael Aquino on Friday played down calls for Anicoche&#x27;s release.</p><p>“Itong mga sigaw na ito, matagal na silang sumisigaw ng ganito. Tatawagin nilang red-tagging, pero tingnan niyo naman ang nangyari,” he said, referring to the practice of linking activists and rights defenders to the communist armed struggle.</p><p>(They have been making these kinds of calls for a long time. They will say it is red-tagging, but look at what happened)</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2026/1/9/one-week-after-occidental-mindoro-clash-army-finds-missing-fil-am-activist-alive-in-a-pit-0638">One week after Occidental Mindoro clash, army finds missing Fil-Am activist alive in a pit<br/></a></div><p>He also said Friday that what matters is that Anicoche has been found and is getting medical attention. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>STUDENT KILLED,  ANOTHER REPORTED MISSING AFTER CLASH</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Student Jerlyn Rose Doydora was killed in the January 1 encounter while another student, Stephanie Borinaga, is reportedly still missing.</p><p>“Umaasa ako na maikwento nita [Chantal] ang lahat ng nangyari doon at kung safe ba ang anak ko. Umaasa po ako,” Gina Madis, Borinaga’s mother, told a news forum on Friday.</p><p>(I hope that Chantal will talk about what happened there and if my daughter is safe)</p><p>“Lyn”, Doydora’s OFW mother, has meanwhile blamed Kabataan Party-list for her daughter’s death.</p><p>The party-list has yet to respond to the comment.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ui_A_5uSOu0?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>The military has no basis to hold American activist Chantal Anicoche, whom it says soldiers found near a clash site in Occidental Mindoro earlier in the week, the president of the National Union of People’s Lawyers said Saturday night.</p>

The military has no basis to hold American activist Chantal Anicoche, whom it says soldiers found near a clash site in Occidental Mindoro earlier in the week, the president of the National Union of People’s Lawyers said Saturday night.

‘Person of interest’ tag no basis to hold Fil-Am activist found near clash site — lawyer

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‘Person of interest’ tag no basis to hold Fil-Am activist found near clash site — lawyer

Jonathan de Santos,

ABS-CBN News

Published January 11, 2026 10:54 AM PHT

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Updated January 11, 2026 01:00 PM PHT

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Chantal Anicoche

Philippine Army

2nd Infantry Division

National Union of People's Lawyers

Migrante International

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