Fil-am activist chooses to remain in military custody for medical care, says Army

Filipino-American activist Chantal Anicoche has voluntarily decided to remain under government custody to undergo medical treatment, the Philippine Army said Sunday.

In a statement on Sunday, the Philippine Army’s 2nd Infantry Division (2ID), based at Camp Capinpin in Tanay, Rizal, said Anicoche executed an affidavit and an undertaking stating her intention to stay at the 2ID Station Hospital to receive necessary medical care.

According to the military, Anicoche affirmed that her decision was “voluntary and performed without force or intimidation.”

 The document was signed in the presence of an independent third-party lawyer from the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.

“The 2nd Infantry Division honors her intent and recognizes the primacy of addressing her medical condition after she suffered difficult physical and mental challenges,” said Col. Michael Aquino, 2ID spokesperson and chief of the unit’s Public Affairs Office.

The military said Anicoche was found on 8 January hiding inside a hole in the ground near the site of an armed encounter between government troops and New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Sitio Mamara, Barangay Cabacao, Abra de Ilog town in Occidental Mindoro. 

She was reportedly discovered about 400 meters from the encounter site after being left behind by fleeing NPA fighters.

“She had reportedly gone eight days without food and water,” the Army said, adding that she was immediately brought to Camp Capinpin for medical attention.

The 2ID said Anicoche, identified as an American citizen, was rescued by troops of the 203rd Infantry Brigade following a series of armed encounters with NPA forces in the area earlier this month. 

Security operations in Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro, remain ongoing, the Army added.

Human rights and migrant advocacy groups, however, have raised concerns over Anicoche’s situation, saying the 25-year-old community organizer and recent psychology graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), went missing following reported military bombardment in the area. 

The groups have called for her immediate release from military custody, citing fears for her safety and well-being.

The Army maintained that Anicoche’s stay at the military hospital is voluntary and focused solely on addressing her medical needs, stressing that due process is being observed.