Edward Mico Joseph Agustin

A Filipino-American activist who went missing following a clash between government troops and New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in the mountains of Sitio Mamara, Barangay Cabacao, Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro on January 1, 2026, has been found alive.

Article (news)

One week after Occidental Mindoro clash, army finds missing Fil-Am activist alive in a pit

Dennis Datu

ABS-CBN News

A Filipino-American activist who went missing following a clash between government troops and New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in the mountains of Sitio Mamara, Barangay Cabacao, Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro on January 1, 2026, has been found alive.According to Brig. Gen. Melencio Ragudo, commander of the 203rd Infantry “Bantay Kapayapaan” Brigade, soldiers located 24-year-old Chantal Anicoche at around 2 p.m. on Thursday, January 8, 2026, hiding in a shallow pit covered with grass—roughly 500 meters from the encounter site. The firefight resulted in the death of Jerlyn Rose Doydora, Anicoche’s companion, identified by activist groups as a member of a party-list organization and a graduate of a Manila-based university, where she earned a BS Secondary Education degree majoring in English.In a video provided by the 203rd Infantry Brigade to ABS-CBN News, Anicoche appeared weak, unable to speak clearly, visibly shocked, and disoriented when she was found.Troops repeatedly asked her to confirm her identity and even showed her photograph to ensure she was the missing activist. Troops then assisted her out of the pit and immediately provided her with food and water.Prior to her discovery, various groups—including human rights alliance Karapatan and Kabataan Party-list—claimed that Doydora and Anicoche were in the mountains conducting research, describing Anicoche as a Fil-Am graduate of BS Psychology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where she completed a psychology degree.Army personnel later transported Anicoche down the mountain, after which she was examined by health workers from the Abra de Ilog Municipal Health Office. According to BGen. Ragudo, Anicoche did not sustain any injuries except for insect bites and was in stable condition.Several hours after reports confirmed Anicoche had been found, Karapatan issued a statement calling for her immediate release from military custody and safe return to her family.Meanwhile, the Philippine Army’s 2nd Infantry Division confirmed that the remains of the NPA fighter killed in the encounter had already been turned over to the family. The body was airlifted by helicopter from Occidental Mindoro to Batangas.Anicoche, however, remains under the care of soldiers in an Army camp in Occidental Mindoro.

A Filipino-American activist who went missing following a clash between government troops and New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in the mountains of Sitio Mamara, Barangay Cabacao, Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro on January 1, 2026, has been found alive.