Barely Halfway Into January, the Marcos Regime Is Already Drenched in War Crimes!
The Asia-Pacific Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines condemns in the strongest terms the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. regime and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for unleashing a wave of military violence, repression, and international humanitarian law violations within just the first days of January 2026. In less than two weeks, the AFP has carried out aerial bombardment, community occupation, extrajudicial killings, harassment of humanitarian missions, and the suppression of civilians’ daily routines, revealing a counterinsurgency policy that treats civilians as legitimate targets.
On January 1, 2026, military forces under the 203rd Infantry Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division launched indiscriminate aerial bombing and strafing in Barangay Cabacao, Abra de Ilog, Mindoro. These attacks killed three Mangyan-Iraya children and two youth, seriously wounded a Mangyan mother, destroyed crops and livestock, and forcibly displaced hundreds of families. The same military operations also led to the disappearance of Chantal Anicoche, a 24-year-old Filipino community leader from Maryland, who went missing following aerial bombing and strafing that began on January 1 and was only found on January 8 – raising grave concerns of arbitrary detention and violations of international humanitarian and human rights law by the 203rd Infantry Brigade of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The use of aerial bombs and sustained gunfire in civilian and agricultural areas constitutes a grave breach of the principles of distinction and proportionality, amounting to war crimes under International Humanitarian Law (IHL).
Instead of allowing accountability, from January 2 onwards, AFP units harassed, monitored, and obstructed the KARAPATAN humanitarian missions investigating the bombing. Residents were intimidated, witnesses were silenced, and humanitarian workers were subjected to surveillance and threats. These actions are direct violations of IHL protections for humanitarian personnel and demonstrate a deliberate effort to cover up military crimes and prevent independent documentation.
Simultaneously, from December 31, 2025, to January 5, 2026, the AFP’s 62nd Infantry Battalion occupied farming communities in Barangay Macagahay, Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental, and Barangay Trinidad, Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental, deploying nearly 100 troops across multiple sitios. In Barangay Trinidad, troops were spread across the sitios of Banderahan, Amomoyong, Columbia, and Kambairan. At the same time, additional military forces were positioned in the sitios of Tagbak and Arum in Barangay Macagahay. Communities were effectively placed under military control during the Christmas and New Year period, disrupting livelihoods, instilling fear, and subjecting civilians to constant harassment.
Most alarming is the January 3, 2026, incident in San Jose de Buan, Samar, where soldiers from the 46th Infantry Battalion shot and fired M203 grenade launchers at two minor brothers, both farmers, while they were transporting charcoal for livelihood. The younger brother was critically wounded and remains missing, while the older brother narrowly escaped. The family has been forced into silence out of fear of retaliation.
Taken together, these cases – occurring within the first half of January alone – expose a nationwide pattern of military abuse: indiscriminate attacks on civilians, targeting of children, destruction of livelihoods, suppression of dissent, and obstruction of humanitarian action. These are not excesses of individual units but the logical outcome of a state policy that prioritizes militarization, impunity, and repression.
We hold the Marcos Jr. regime and the AFP command structure fully accountable for these crimes. We demand: An immediate halt to aerial bombing, strafing, and military operations in civilian areas; The withdrawal of AFP troops from rural communities, an end to the harassment of humanitarian missions, students, and human rights defenders; immediately release of Chantal Anicoche; and most of all justice for all victims, especially children, farmers, and Indigenous peoples.
We call on the international community to expose and oppose the counterinsurgency program of the Marcos Jr. regime. The bloodshed of January 2026 makes one thing clear: under Marcos Jr., war crimes are prioritized over addressing the country’s deepening political and economic crises.
Stop the killings – end militarization. Release Chantal Anicoche! Hold the Marcos regime and the mercenary AFP accountable now!
