Chantal Anicoche, a Filipino-American activist, has returned to the United States after weeks in custody of the Armed Forces of the Philippines following a deadly New Year's Day bombing in Occidental Mindoro.
Chantal Anicoche, who was in the Philippines for volunteer work with indigenous Mangyan communities and farmers, went missing on January 1 after the Armed Forces of the Philippines bombed an area in Barangay Cabacao, Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro. She appeared in a military video on January 8, emerging from a hole where the military claimed she had hidden for eight days. Human rights groups labeled the video as staged and demanded her immediate release, citing risks of torture, interrogation, threats, and harassment in custody.
The Bureau of Immigration stated she was ordered to leave the country but not deported. On January 30, she reunited with her mother at Camp Capinpin in Tanay, Rizal, and both flew back to the US that night, according to a statement from the AFP's 2nd Infantry Jungle Fighter Division.
"I've spoken with Chantal and am pleased that she is back home and safe with her family," US Senator Chris Van Hollen said in a statement on January 31. The family requested privacy, but everyone is relieved she is safe.
The Malaya Movement USA expressed profound relief but also anger over the likely physical and psychological torment during her three weeks in custody, referencing cases like Chad Booc, killed by the AFP, and Jonila Castro, who survived such operations. Karapatan has called for an independent investigation into violations of international humanitarian law after the January 1 bombing killed five civilians and displaced 188 families. Filipino-American groups organized protests at Philippine consulates in New York, Washington DC, and Chicago to demand her release.