Indigenous Lands Under Siege: APHR Condemns Bombings in Mindoro, Calls for an End to Corporate-driven Militarization

JAKARTA, 14 January 2026— ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) is outraged by the renewed pattern of violence, impunity and militarization inflicted on the Mangyan-Iraya indigenous and local communities of Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro in the Philippines.

These attacks are part of a long-standing pattern in Occidental Mindoro, where Mangyan-Iraya indigenous communities are militarized and subjected to harassment to suppress local resistance against the possible return of Agusan Petroleum and other mining operations, as well as large-scale projects like the 375-megawatt Abra de Ilog Wind Energy Project, which threaten ancestral lands.

On 1 January 2026, the village of Barangay Cabacao was subjected to indiscriminate state-sanctioned aerial bombardment, strafing and intensified military operations that terrorized families, destroyed homes and tore apart the fragile fabric of community life.

In the aftermath, three Mangyan-Iraya indigenous youth and one youth researcher were killed while fleeing the bombardment, and at least 188 families were forcibly displaced.

APHR is alarmed by reports that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) have obstructed independent fact-finding missions and restricted humanitarian access in Abra de Ilog. Preventing neutral observers, humanitarian workers, and legal counsel from reaching affected areas only deepens the suffering of displaced families and shields grave abuses from scrutiny and accountability.

Furthermore, APHR is disturbed by the continued detention of 24-year-old Filipino-American youth leader and human rights advocate Chantal Anicoche. Despite being a civilian, Anicoche remains held by the AFP without charges, without access to independent legal counsel and without clear information provided to her family or the public about her condition. Her reported detention at the Camp General Mateo Capinpin, following military operations in Barangay Cabacao, and her subsequent tagging as a ‘person of interest’, raise serious concerns of arbitrary detention and place her safety and well-being at severe risk.

In light of these grave concerns, APHR urges the Marcos Jr. administration to act with urgency and in full respect of the rule of law. All aerial bombardments, strafing and military operations affecting civilians and indigenous peoples in Mindoro must cease immediately. Chantal Anicoche must be released without delay. Independent fact-finding missions must be allowed full and unimpeded access to Abra de Ilog to assess conditions, document violations and deliver urgent assistance.

A prompt, impartial and transparent investigation must also be conducted by the Philippine Commission on Human Rights into the January 1 operations, with accountability ensured for all violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.

APHR urges ASEAN institutions, international partners and local & regional lawmakers to closely monitor the situation and press for accountability and protection. No justification exists for the terror inflicted on children forced to flee, families uprooted from ancestral lands or the silencing and detention of those who defend human dignity and communities from corporate greed.

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Photo by Raymond Panaligan/AlterMidya