Philippines Regional Conference Board of Church and Society - UMC

23/05/2026

ICHRP statement on Toboso fact-finding mission.

Fact Finding Mission in Negros disproves military claims; Confirms civilian casualties in Toboso 19 Massacre

The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) today strongly supported the results of the Fact Finding Mission in Toboso, Negros Occidental on the massacre by the Philippine Army on April 19. ICHRP is deeply disturbed by the findings of the mission amid new information about the massacred individuals. The mission consisted of more than a hundred delegates from various local and international organizations.

“The Fact Finding Mission confirmed what human rights groups have long been saying–six of the nineteen individuals killed–including student leader Alyssa Alano, peasant organizers Maureen Santuyo and Errol Wendel, journalist RJ Ledesma, Filipino-American activist Kai Sorem, and ICHRP member Lyle Prijoles were unarmed civilians, as confirmed by witness testimonies in the communities. This categorically disproves the 79th Infantry Battalion’s claim that all of them were armed combatants,” said Peter Murphy, ICHRP Chairperson.

“We also condemn in the strongest terms the blacklisting and deportation last May 12 of our Global Council member Reverend Sadie Stone, who was in the Philippines to participate in the Fact Finding Mission in Negros. She was barred from entry in the airport for supposedly participating in “political activities” in 2016. Reverend Stone is the third ICHRP member in the past two years to be blacklisted by the Marcos Jr. government, following Gordon Mutch in 2025 and Copeland Downs in 2024,” added Murphy.

Ariel Casilao of the Unyon ng Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) confirmed that Errol Wendel and Maureen Santuyo were both deployed to Negros to conduct research and help farmers and farm workers in Barangay Salamanca in Toboso who are engaged in an ongoing land dispute, a case already raised to the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

Attorney Maria Sol Taule of Karapatan said there was already intense militarization in Toboso even before April 19. Residents reported seeing several drones hovering over their community days before the massacre, while military personnel visited at least 18 houses on April 19 to look for the NPA’s whereabouts. A resident, together with a 14-year-old boy and a mother who were out to harvest shellfish, was also accosted, illegally detained, and interrogated by the military about the presence of the NPA in the area.

ICHRP Britain member Cieran McGowan who was part of the mission said he was astonished at how rich landlords in Negros benefit from the hard work of peasants, while the latter suffer from complete slavery, and are killed when they struggle for land.

“Lyle Prijoles and Kai Sorem went to Negros to do exactly what we came here for–learn about the conditions of the Filipino people. Why were they murdered when they were just there to learn?” said McGowan.

“We salute the delegation’s determination to get the truth about this terrible massacre and call on the international community to study their findings. We want governments to review their political and military relations with the Marcos Jr. government based on this information,” continued Murphy.

“How can Marcos Jr. claim to be a diplomat of peace and respect international humanitarian law when the international community is witnessing the bloodshed and innumerable war crimes committed by his regime?” Murphy asked.

ICHRP US leader, Lyle Prijoles, was one of those killed at Toboso, and so the organization is sharing with Filipino organizations and families the pain of the callous and relentless repression suffered by farmers, workers and Indigenous Peoples communities in the Philippines as they struggle to uplift incomes and political rights in the poverty-stricken country.

“The evidence found belies the narrative created by the military, who had complete control of the site from April 19 to 21. Negros was already the massacre capital of the Philippines and this case only underlines the reality that violations of International Humanitarian Law and human rights are rampant in the Philippines today,” concluded Murphy.

Further comment: Peter Murphy, ICHRP Chairperson, +61418312301, [email protected]

20/05/2026

On Tuesday, May 12, Reverend Sadie Stone—a United Methodist Pastor, a member of the Global Council of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP), and a law student at the University of San Francisco School of Law—was prevented from entering the Philippines at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila.

After she landed in Manila, Philippine officials informed Stone that she was not allowed to enter the country. Officials at the airport inquired about her participation in the activities of ICHRP and the campaign for Justice for Brandon Lee, a Chinese-American activist from San Francisco who was shot four times—but survived—in the Philippines in August 2019.

Reverend Sadie Stone Barred Entry at Manila Airport
Global rights group asks: What is Marcos Jr hiding?

https://ichrp.net/reverend-sadie-stone-barred-entry-at-manila-airport/

Press Statement
May 19, 2026

On Tuesday, May 12, Reverend Sadie Stone—a United Methodist Pastor, a member of the Global Council of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP), and a law student at the University of San Francisco School of Law—was prevented from entering the Philippines at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila.

After she landed in Manila, Philippine officials informed Stone that she was not allowed to enter the country. Officials at the airport inquired about her participation in the activities of ICHRP and the campaign for Justice for Brandon Lee, a Chinese-American activist from San Francisco who was shot four times—but survived—in the Philippines in August 2019.

The denial of entry came when Stone was en route to participate in a fact finding mission on the recent massacre in Negros Occidental, central Philippines. Human rights groups and the international community have decried the massacre, which killed 19, including farmer advocates, an elected student leader, a journalist, and two Filipino-Americans.

“What really is there to fear about Rev Sadie Stone? This appears to be another attempt of the Marcos Jr regime to hide its war crimes from international eyes,” said ICHRP Chairperson Peter Murphy.

One of the two US citizens who were killed in Toboso, Lyle Prijoles, was a leader in the US chapter of ICHRP. Prijoles was a beloved community member from the San Francisco Bay Area who had been doing humanitarian and human rights work for the Philippines for decades.

The Fact Finding Mission to Negros—which Stone was prevented from attending—confirmed that six of the nineteen individuals killed, including Prijoles, were unarmed civilians. The Mission also found evidence of intimidation and harassment of the community by the AFP. While claiming to look for the NPA before the massacre, the military subjected the community to drone surveillance, house to house visits, and even accosted and illegally detained a 14 year old boy and mother.

“While covering up its own war crimes in Negros, this regime also continues to protect former President Duterte and his cronies, who were in charge when troops attempted to assassinate Brandon Lee,” said Murphy. “Marcos Jr and the Dutertes are in a deadly conflict, but they are still united in deadly repression of the people who are hungry for land to till.

“The war crimes and impunity of the AFP highlight why Rev Stone needed to go to the Philippines in the first place” continued Murphy. “Unfortunately, Marcos Jr. seems much more keen to welcome foreign military troops into the country than human rights advocates.”

The prevention of foreigners from entering the Philippines, often known as blacklisting, has been an increasing trend under the Marcos Jr. administration. Since the beginning of this regime, three US-based human rights activists – Copeland Downs, Gordon Mutch, and Julia Jamora – have also been prevented from entering the country.

The trend of blacklisting is especially disturbing given the rapid increase in foreign military aid, weapons transfers and military agreements with the Philippines. Foreign nationals are becoming more and more concerned with how their countries are spending on military engagement in the Philippines, yet when they go to investigate what is happening there, they are prevented from entry.

Reverend Stone first visited the Philippines in 2016, and was elected to the Global Council of ICHRP in 2019. Over the past decade, as part of the California Nevada Task Force in the United Methodist Church, Stone has visited the Philippines on multiple occasions. She has served as a staunch advocate in the campaign for Justice for Brandon Lee and for the passage of the Philippine Human Rights Act in the US Congress, which calls for the suspension of aid to the Philippine military and police until certain human rights standards are upheld in the country.

ICHRP Peter Murphy and Rev. Sadie Stone are both available for interview upon request: please send a request to ichrp.net/contact

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28/04/2026

April 28, 2026

The Philippines Regional Conference – Board of Church and Society expresses its deep appreciation for the election of Vanessa Jane Dabay of Quezon City Philippines Annual Conference (QCPACE) as Chairperson of Kalipunan ng Kristyanong Kabataan ng Pilipinas (3KP) for the biennium 2026–2028.

The Board acknowledges the contribution of the youth in creative action and in striving for a society that experiences the love of God. A society where the lives of ordinary citizens are abundant, and not just that of a few. A society that is peaceful and just. Now, above all, there is a greater need for the youth of the church to stand firm and reject evil, which causes great suffering among Filipinos.

The Board also recognizes the continuing enrichment of Ecumenical relations, which serve as a strong foundation for the unity of the body of Christ. Such fellowship is a living testimony to what is written in Romans 12:5, “so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.”

Accompanying this statement is a continuing prayer for the youth as they participate in the life of the Church and society.

Signed:

PASTOR THAAD KOLIN A. SAMSON
Chairperson, PCC BCS

REV. GLOFIE G BALUNTONG
Executive Director, PCC BCS

BISHOP ISRAEL M. PAINIT
Bishop Assigned to PCC BCS

28/04/2026

Abril 28, 2026

Ang Philippines Regional Conference – Board of Church and Society ay taos-pusong nagpapahayag ng lubos na pagpapasalamat sa pagkahalal ni Vanessa Jane Dabay ng Quezon City Philippines Annual Conference (QCPACE) bilang Tagapangulo ng Kalipunan ng Kristyanong Kabataan ng Pilipinas (3KP) para sa bienyum 2026–2028.

Kinikilala ng Board ang ambag ng mga kabataan sa malikhaing pagkilos at pag-adhika ng isang lipunang nararanasan ang pagmamahal ng Diyos. Isang lipunang maunlad ang buhay ng karaniwang mamamayan at hindi ng iilan. Isang lipunang may kapayapaan at katarungan. Ngayon, higit sa lahat, ang masidhing pangangailangan sa mga kabataang simbahan upang tumindig at tanggihan ang kasamaan, na lubos na nagdudulot ng kahirapan sa mga Pilipino.

Kinikilala rin ng Board ang patuloy na pagpapayaman ng ugnayang Ekyumenikal na nagsisilbing matibay na saligan ng pagkakaisa ng katawan ni Kristo. Ang ganitong ugnayan ay buhay na patotoo sa sinasabi sa Roma 12:5, “gayundin naman, kahit na tayo'y marami, nabubuo tayo sa iisang katawan ni Cristo, at tayong lahat ay bahagi ng isa't isa.”

Kalakip ng pahayag na ito ang patuloy na panalangin para sa mga kabataan habang sila’y nakikibahagi sa buhay ng Iglesya at lipunan.

Nilagdaan:

PASTOR THAAD KOLIN A. SAMSON
Chairperson, PCC BCS

REV. GLOFIE G BALUNTONG
Executive Director, PCC BCS

BISHOP ISRAEL M. PAINIT
Bishop Assigned to PCC BCS

22/04/2026

22/04/2026