faith in action

Shot for Speaking Out: Fighting Human Rights Violations in the Philippines

Social justice activist Brandon Lee was targeted for assassination by the Philippine military. His story reveals a crisis of US-funded human rights violations and a movement for change.


Brandon Lee speaks at a solidarity event
Brandon Lee is a Chinese American human rights and environmental activist from San Francisco who moved to the Philippines in 2010 to live and work with indigenous peoples in the Cordillera region.

On August 6, 2019, the Philippine military shot Brandon Lee, an American citizen, in front of his home.

Brandon Lee is a Chinese American human rights and environmental activist from San Francisco who moved to the Philippines in 2010 to live and work with indigenous peoples in the Cordillera region. To this day, those responsible for the attack have not been held accountable.

Brandon’s case is, unfortunately, one of many.

Thousands of Filipinos in rural communities have been victims of state terror, including indiscriminate aerial bombings and crop-burning of their villages. Human rights violations persist under new President Bongbong Marcos Jr. The State Department’s 2023 human rights report on the Philippines stated that there have been “no significant changes” in the human rights situation.

The Philippine government continues to ignore the social and economic issues at the root of decades-long armed conflict, using a militarized approach that targets peasant farmers and activists to quash any dissent. Human rights defenders, religious leaders, peace consultants, and journalists remain under threat of being “red-tagged,” targeted as communists or terrorists.

Alarmingly, these actions are largely funded by the United States.

Since 2015, the U.S. has delivered more than $1.14 billion worth of planes, armored vehicles, small arms, and other military equipment and training to the Philippines.

Last month, the US chapter of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP-US) hosted a speaking tour in Washington, DC, to highlight the lack of attention on Brandon’s case and garner political support for human rights and demilitarization in the Philippines.

The General Board of Church and Society partnered with the Justice for Brandon Lee campaign to hold a faith sharing gathering at the United Methodist building, with representatives from multiple denominations hearing from Brandon about his story and how they can contribute to the work for human rights in the Philippines.

The General Board of Church and Society partnered with the Justice for Brandon Lee campaign to hold a faith sharing gathering at the United Methodist building.

The speaking tour also featured a historic hearing in the House of Representatives co-hosted by the campaign and Representative Susan Wild, the lead sponsor of the Philippines Human Rights Act. Congressional staffers and members of civil society joined to hear from a panel of speakers including Brandon Lee, Katrina Abarcar of ICHRP-US, and Susan Gunn from the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns. The discussion centered on human rights issues in the Philippines, particularly on international law violations and the impact on the faith community.

The events concluded with a rally at the Philippine embassy on September 21, which marked 52 years since President Ferdinand Marcos Sr declared martial law in the Philippines.

The United Methodist Church has long supported the Filipino people and spoken out against human rights violations (2016 United Methodist Book Resolution #6117). The church has also called out the militarized approach of the Philippine and U.S. governments to economic development and humanitarian crises in the Philippines (2016 United Methodist Book Resolution 6118).

Church and Society stands proudly with Brandon Lee and the countless activists who have been surveilled and violently targeted for their human rights work.

You can join this fight for justice in the Philippines by urging your Representatives to co-sponsor H.R.1433, the Philippines Human Rights Act. The legislation would block U.S. security assistance to the Philippines until human rights standards are met.