A visiting Filipino American community leader who was with a group that went to Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro to immerse with the Mangyan indigenous people remains missing following an encounter between government forces and the New People’s Army (NPA) on 1 January.

The woman was identified as Chantal Anicoche, 25, a recent Bachelor of Science in Psychology graduate of University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), where she served as a leader of the Filipino American Student Association (FASA).

In a joint statement on Tuesday, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan USA and Migrante USA said Anicoche was present in Abra de Ilog when the military launched an operation against the NPA.

“As someone deeply passionate about Indigenous and environmental issues, Chantal chose to go to the Philippines to learn directly from the Mangyan community their issues and aspirations, especially in the face of economic hardship and the government’s militarization of the island,” the groups said.

The groups alleged that the military may know Anicoche’s whereabouts but is withholding information from the public.

“We demand the immediate surfacing of Chantal, whose whereabouts and condition are most certainly being covered up by the Philippine military to avoid public condemnation,” they added.

The left-leaning human rights group Karapatan-Southern Tagalog said Anicoche was part of a group, along with students from Metro Manila, who traveled during the Christmas break to live with farmers and Mangyan indigenous communities.

Meanwhile, National Democratic Front of the Philippines - Mindoro spokesperson Ma. Patricia Andal said the group arrived in the area before the New Year with the help of indigenous residents and farmers and was received by an NPA unit.

Karapatan-Southern Tagalog said Anicoche went missing after being separated from her companions when the encounter between government troops and communist guerrillas occurred.

Andal also confirmed the deaths of two individuals in the group, including Jerlyn Rose Doydora, a member of the General Secretariat of Kabataan Partylist who was earlier reported missing during the exchange of fire.

She said villagers later found the body of the missing student, while three Mangyan children were discovered two days after the military encounter.

Deep connection

BAYAN USA and Migrante USA said Anicoche developed a strong connection to Filipinos after joining FASA, citing shared identity, culture, and lived experiences.

They added that she was particularly drawn to environmental, farmers’, and Indigenous peoples’ issues in the Philippines, which helped her better understand the economic hardships her parents had spoken about as reasons for leaving the country.

Anicoche worked as a public school substitute teacher shortly after graduating from college.

Despite her work, the groups said she continued her civic engagement through policy advocacy, including involvement in the Philippine Human Rights Act campaign, supporting the rights of Indigenous peoples and farmers in the Philippines.