Migrante International and BAYAN International call for the immediate release of Chantal Anicoche, who is currently under custody of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Missing in the wake of the bombing of an indigenous community in Cabacao, Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro, we have learned from reports that Chantal was seen alive in a video released by the Philippine Army.
We are one with Chantal’s family and friends in feeling an immediate sense of relief seeing her alive. However, we remain deeply concerned about the condition of Chantal. She is being held by the 203rd Infantry Brigade, an AFP unit responsible for countless attacks on indigenous and rural communities. Chantal must not experience the same torture or harm that many others have suffered under military hands. Her rights should be respected at all times. She must not be put under any form of torture, interrogation, threat, harassment, and intimidation from the hands of any unit of the AFP.
Chantal is a beloved Filipina community leader from the United States who is deeply engaged in the causes of overseas Filipino welfare and human rights. She has done no wrong but to live with compassion for Filipinos facing hardship and strife, from migrant workers to indigenous Mangyan communities in Mindoro. Chantal faces no case against her. The Marcos Jr. regime has no reason to delay Chantal’s freedom.
We call on all Filipinos overseas and at home, as well as our friends in solidarity around the world, to call on Philippine President Marcos Jr. to release Chantal Anicoche now. From Philippine embassies and consulates to Malacañang itself, let us demand that Chantal be released and returned to her loved ones and community. We also continue to call for justice for the victims of the massacre in Abra de Ilog, an end to the military blockade, and an end to the de facto martial rule over the island.
Stop the bombings, defend Mindoro, #ReleaseChantal!
