Resources

Learn more about Brandon, his story and work through the accounts of other journalists and activists in MULTI-MEDIA and WRITTEN formats, as well as the DOCUMENTS in relation to his case.

For media inquiries, please contact Justice4BrandonLee@gmail.com

Commission on Human Rights Cordillera Resolution on the Alleged Violation | 2022 August

San Francisco Board of Supervisors Resolution Condemning the Shooting | 2019 September

Report on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders in the Philippines | 2020 July

Resolution Urging Philippine Senate Committee to Conduct and Investigation | 2019 September

Makabayan Resolution Urging the Philippine Congress to Investigate the Shooting | 2019 August

MULTI-MEDIA

2023 Dec 11 | How State Violence in the Philippines is Propped Up by the US and APEC w/ Human Rights Activist Brandon Lee | Green and Red

2023 Nov 10 | Environmental and Indigenous Rights Activist Brandon Lee on Opposing APEC | Upfront, KPFA

2023 Oct 24 | San Francisco prepares for APEC summit | KTVU FOX 2

2023 Apr 27 | Dear Brandon (Message for Brandon on Cordillera Day) | Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA)

2023 Jan 1 | SF Fil-Ams cry foul over alleged red-tagging by PH gov't | Rommel Conclara, ABS-CBN

2022 Sept 22 | Martial law victim at SF protest recounts trauma | Rommel Conclara, TFC News San Francisco

2022 Aug 5 | Message to Pres. Biden | Brandon Lee

2020 Dec 1 | Brandon Lee's Testimony on the Senate Hearing on Red-Tagging | Cordillera Human Rights Alliance (CHRA)

2020 July | Radical Love from the Philippines to the Bay | Rad Love Talks

2020 Apr 23 | Human rights activist Brandon Lee criticizes Duterte's handling of COVID-19 pandemic | Rommel Conclara, ABS-CBN

2019 Dec 10 | International Human Rights Day Greeting from Brandon Lee | BAYAN USA

2019 Oct 28 | San Francisco activist returns home from Philippines after attempted assassination | Amber Lee, KTVU

2019 Oct 27 | Activist and journalist shot in the Philippines return to San Francisco | People Power Media

2019 Sept 9 | Brandon Lee: San Francisco activist targeted in the Philippines

2019 Sept 9 | Rally calls for justice for San Francisco native Brandon Lee shot in the Philippines | ABC7

2019 Sept 5 | SF Supervisor Matt Haney checks in on activist Brandon Lee following attack in the Philippines | ABS-CBN Balitang America

2019 Sept 4 | US journalist & activist Brandon Lee shot in Philippines after being called "enemy of the state" | Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!

2019 Sept 4 | Officials push for safe return of San Francisco activist shot in Philippines | Michael Krasny, KQED

2019 Aug 14 | Bay Area Filipinos stand up for activist shot in the Philippines | Ericka Cruz Guevarra, KQED

2019 Aug 13 | Emergency indignation rally to demand justice for Brandon Lee | ICHRP Northeast

2019 Aug 12 | San Francisco human rights advocate fights for his life in Philippines | Amber Lee, KTVU

2019 Aug 9 | Brandon Lee's Message to the International Community | BAYAN USA

2019 Aug 9 | Family, friends rally for San Francisco activist shot in the Philippines | Melanie Woodrow, ABC7

2019 Aug 8 | Congressional Hearing Features the Philippines | International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) US

Episode 178: Anti-terror in the Philippines | True Anon

2015 Mar 26 | Human Rights Work Under Attack | R.J. Lozada, Apex Express

WRITTEN PRESS

2023 Publications

“This board of supervisors unanimously came to my defense and condemned the Philippine military for that attack. The public stance this board takes on the side of the people have a global impact and your actions make a difference. I am proof of that,” Lee said. Today I come before you once again to stand with my Palestinian indigenous brothers and sisters to ask every board member to support the resolution for permanent ceasefire as it is written and send an unequivocal message that San Francisco stands against genocide. I want to remind the board, there is no pause to genocide, there is only stopping it.”

2023 Dec 13 | SF Supervisor introduces resolution calling for ceasefire in Gaza | Alexis Terrazzas, El Tecolote

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As an activist living in the Cordillera region in the Philippines who survived an assassination attempt, he embodies what it means to confront the beast that inflicts suffering in grassroots communities.

2023 Nov 21 | Relentless resistance against APEC | Mong Palatino, Bulatlat

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“The leaders want business as usual, which is finding ways to exploit labor,” Lee said. “Neoliberal policies offshore union jobs to countries with weaker labor laws.”

2023 Nov 21 | Students protest APEC Summit | Joann Moon, The Daily Californian

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“Marcos Jr. will be selling the sovereignty and national patrimony of the Philippines to foreign investors this November during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting held here in San Francisco while indigenous peoples and workers are suffering,” Lee said.

2023 Oct 15 | 51st anniversary: Declaration of martial law | Mia Soumbasakis, The Daily Californian

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“We established the U.N. in San Francisco. We’re supposed to be promoting human rights,” he said. “But with this exclusionary zone, they’ll be training their guns at us. … The U.S. should not be hosting APEC because of all the human rights violations that come out of APEC policies.”

2023 Nov 4 | As APEC looms, San Francisco’s Filipino American community criticizes summit’s legacy | Astrid Kane, The San Francisco Standard

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Activist and critic Brandon Lee told me that the kind of trade policies born of summits like APEC “has led to the destruction of the environment, exacerbating the climate crisis and the displacement of many indigenous communities” in the Philippines.

2023 Nov 15 | He escaped martial law in the Philippines. Now, APEC has brought the past to his doorstep | Soleil Ho, San Francisco Chronicle

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2023 Nov 14 | Heads of state fly to SFO for APEC, but at what cost to the environment? | Sydney Johnson, KQED

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“APEC is simply a tool of big business and the ruling elite to increase their profits at the expense of people and the planet,” said Brandon Lee of the International Coalition for Human Rights. “Contrary to the city’s branding, APEC will not be epic.”

2023 Nov 13 | APEC traffic, wet storms, protests: San Franciscans brace for rough week | Amy Larson & Dan Kerman, KRON4

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2023 Nov 12 | The (other) big problems with APEC | Tim Redmond, 48hills

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“I will continue to fight as long as I breathe. My story is one of many. There are 1000 people here today, diverse and multi-generational, each with their own journey, all united against APEC. And we will not go gently into the night. We will rage!”

2023 Nov 12 | APEC counter-summit hosts 900 people| Fight Back News

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“APEC will not be epic. It will be a waste of millions of taxpayer dollars, and it will only result in further worker exploitation and environmental destruction.”

2023 Nov 12 | AS APEC kicks off, protesters are descending on San Francisco. Here’s what you need to know | KQED

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2023 Nov 7 | These ‘No 2 APEC’ activists know the high price of free trade | Brooke Anderson, Convergence

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"We’re paying for snipers to be pointed at us."

2023 Nov 1 | Various groups expected to protest outside APEC Summit in SF | Jay Barmann, SFIST

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2023 May 21 | While we wait | AR Campo, Northern Dispatch

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2023 Mar 31 | Group welcomes CHR’s commitment for “faster, effective” probe on complaints | Kimberlie Ngabit Quitasol, Northern Dispatch

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“Tax dollars should not fund the Philippine military death squad. I urge you in Congress to pass the Philippine Human Rights Act,” Lee added.

2023 Mar 24 | US lawmaker reintroduces bill seeking to tie US gov’t aid to PH human rights reforms | Anne Marxze Umil, Bulatlat

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“They try to isolate you from the public, from the people that you serve,” Lee told Foreign Policy. “They’re hoping that you, yourself, will stop doing this work on your own because of all the threats. “If you continue doing it, the threats are there. ‘We’re really going to showcase to the public what happens when you do this kind of work.’”

2023 Mar 21 | The US has a troublesome Asian ally against China | Nick Aspinwall, Foreign Policy

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the United States should not be unconditionally funding one of the world’s most repressive governments—one that has targeted United States citizens like environmental activist Brandon Lee, who remains paralyzed as the result of a 2019 assassination attempt.

2023 Mar 10 | Why I’m fighting to pass the Philippine Human Rights Act | Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA.), The Hill

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2022-2020 Publications

“The U.S./Philippine relationship should not only be based on economic and military interest but most importantly, on the respect for human rights, justice and accountability to its people.”

2022 Dec 1 | World Watch: Human Rights Abuse in the Philippines | Susan Gunn, Maryknoll Magazine

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2022 Aug 31 | Journey for justice | Brandon Lee, Mahalaya

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“I was able to fly back to San Francisco and we are back in the US far from the military, but three years after, no investigation, no accountability and my colleagues in the Cordillera in the Philippines continue to be in danger”

2022 Aug 6 | American EJK survivor asks Blinken to talk human rights with Marcos Jr. | Kimberlie Ngabit Quitasol, Northern Dispatch

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2021 Dec | Acts of Terror on Philippines Activism: Exploring the Cultural Nuances of Philippines National Sovereignty (Thesis) | Kevyn Timtiman Lorenzana, San Francisco State University

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2021 April 12 | Bloomberg anti-nicotine lobby among US backers of Duterte’s drug war | Annie Kleykamp, Filtermag

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In 2019, Brandon Lee, a Nordis correspondent and environmentalist, was shot by unidentified gunmen in front of his home in Lagawe, Ifugao. He was seriously wounded and is continuing to recover.

2021 Feb 25 | Statement: Cordillera ‘Tokhang’ resolution puts journalists in grave danger | Altermidya

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2021 Jan 15 | Groups want fabricated murder case vs. Northern Luzon activists dropped | Kimberlie Ngabit Quitasol, Northern Dispatch

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“It was the 5th infantry division and the 54th IB using my pictures they took of me to continue to red-tag the IPM and destroy my character on social media. So I ask this of you, who is the monster here? Who is the real terrorist?”

2020 Nov 27 | Chinese-American activist asks senate to repeal Anti-terror Law| Kimberlie Ngabit Quitasol, Northern Dispatch

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Filipinos and Cordillera people are demanding medical and economic support and the last thing they need is for the State to make a mockery of their heroes

2020 Oct 19 | International civil society, human rights groups defend Macli-ing Dulag’s monument from demolition | Hanah Tabios, Manila Bulletin

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On August 6, 2019, Brandon Lee, another correspondent, was shot four times by an unidentified gunman in front of his home in Lagawe, Ifugao, and is still recovering up to now.

2020 Oct 7 | Statement: Stop the attacks on Northern Dispatch | Altermidya

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Lee is considered to be one of the first U.S. citizens targeted in what the group called an “extrajudicial assasination attempt” under the Duterte administration as a consequence for his activism.

2020 Sept 18 | ASI’s Lobby Corps to promote Philippine Human Right Act| Jewel Santos, Daily Forty-Niner

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2020 Sept 9 | Resolution endorsing the Philippine Human Right| Act | Associated Students, San Jose State University

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I could've easily been one of the 30,000 fathers, sons, mothers and children who have been killed brutally, mercilessly, with no due process whatsoever.

2020 Aug 7 | ‘It is my duty to continue’: No investigation a year a ter SF activist Brandon Lee was shot in the Philippines| Ericka Cruz Guevarra, KQED

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“I am forever grateful to the mass movement who watched over me, took care of me, protected me in the hospital, who fundraised for my hospitalizations and airlift, and who continue to advocate for my full recovery and seek justice,”

2020 Aug 7 | The Brandon Lee shooting, one year later | Jeantelle Laberinto, 48 Hills

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2020 July 31 | Call to Action | BAYAN USA & ICHRP US

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Red-baiting, vilification, heavy-intense surveillance from the military, as part of the state, has never bothered us before, until this dam.

2020 Feb 12 | Indigenous environmental defenders and the legacy of Macli-ing Dulag: Anti-dam dissent, assassinations, and protests in the making of Philippine energyscape | Laurence Delina, Science Direct

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A week after, on August 6, 2019, I was shot. Since then, they still continued the attacks on my character through their official pages

2020 June 24 | Anti-terror bill to legalize crackdown in the North | Aaron Macaraeg, Bulatlat

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Another victim of red-baiting, Brandon Lee (Northern Dispatch), was shot (fortunately, he survived the assassination attempt).

2020 June 16 | 6 questions on Rappler, cyberlibel and press freedom | Danilo Arao, Bulatlat

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She stressed that the same pattern of events led to the shooting of Ifugao correspondent Brandon Lee in August last year.

2020 June 10 | Nordis files red-tagging, harassment complaints before CHR | Northern Dispatch

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2020 Apr 28 | Racism is a virus: The crossroads of racism, imperialism, and environmental justice | Abby Pasion, An Injustice

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2020 Mar 11 | Statement: Hands off our colleagues! Stop the attacks against journalists! | Northern Dispatch

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Brandon was shot because he opposed a hydropower project that would have displaced indigenous communities in the north, while to the south, indigenous Lumad leaders have been killed and schools dedicated to the teaching of sustainable agricultural practices occupied under the guise of anti-communism.

2020 Mar 6 | Rodrigo Duterte’s unnatural disasters | Ethan Chua, Bulatlat

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2020 Jan 25| Intensified attacks against democratic dissent | Northern Dispatch

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2019 : US Publications

But even more so, the response to Brandon’s shooting is evidence of a mass movement — of international scale — amidst a worsening human rights crisis in the Philippines.

2019 Nov 5| As attacks against activists increase, fight like Brandon Lee! Advance the solidarity movement for the Philippines!| ICHRP US

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“While we’re ecstatic that Brandon has come back to San Francisco … he’s returned with bullets still lodged in his body,” Ramiro said. “Bullets that were shot by the armed forces of the Philippines but supplied by the over $193.5 million in so-called ‘aid’ that the U.S. provides to the Philippine military and police.

2019 Nov 3 | Sunset native survives assassination attempt, brought back to SF | Thomas Pendergast, Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon

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“His personality was a combination of compassion and empathy for the issues that the oppressed are enduring, and a strong sense of justice to advocate on their behalf,” Jeung said.

2019 Nov 5 | Brandon Lee airlifted back to SF | David Mamaril Horowitz, Golden Gate Xpress

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"Unlike Brandon, there are tens of thousands of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines who remain unknown because they don’t receive the same international attention as Brandon."

2019 Oct 29 | Activist Brandon Lee, shot in possible assassination attempt by Philippine authorities, returns to SF | Jay Barmann, SFIST

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2019 Oct 28 | Celebrate Brandon Lee’s return! Continue to fight against fascism and tyranny! | Malaya Movement

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“I’m so glad we have Brandon back, but we’re not done yet… There’s much more work to be done to address the underlying injustices that led to Brandon’s attack.”

2019 Oct 28 | Human rights advocate shot in Philippines returns to SF | Jeantelle Laberinto, 48 Hills

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Brandon is more than a college classmate, he is our kuya, our family, and our kasama – someone you journey with in this life. And he is the best of us. A journeying companion that even 7,007 miles between San Francisco and the Philippines cannot sever.

2019 Oct 23 | Who is Kuya Brandon Lee? | Melissa Reyes & Faye Lacanilao, Chopso

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Within a week of Brandon Lee’s shooting, the US Embassy agreed to build a $10 million counter-terror training center in Cavite, Philippines.

2019 Oct 1 | Stop US military aid to the Philippines | Azadeh Shahshahani/ Rev. Sadie Stone, Jacobin

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“What happened to Brandon should not be viewed as an isolated incident,” Supervisor Matt Haney said. “It is part of a campaign of targeting people who are standing up for environmental and human rights across the Philippines.”

2019 Sept 19 | Update on alumnus Brandon Lee | Sam Moore, Golden Gate Xpress

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The delegation will appeal to the Philippine government to ensure Brandon Lee’s safety and apprehend the assailants.

2019 Sept 15 | Chicago elected officials to join human rights delegation to Philippines Consulate | Fight Back News

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“For years, the government of the Philippines has been waging war on farmers and the indigenous population, illegally taking their land so that natural resources can be exploited. Fortunately though, there are people like Brandon [Lee] in the world. He knew that injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere,”

2019 Sept 13 | Protection urged for Brandon Lee, US activist journalist | The Philippine Reporter

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"Let's be clear, this attack was not isolated but it was part of the Philippine President Duterte's extra judicial war against human rights advocates, against critics of his administration, and alleged drug users, that has claimed nearly 30,000 lives since 2016; a war that Americans taxpayers are subsidizing."

2019 Aug 9 | Supporters condemn alleged assassination attempt of San Francisco man in Philippines | SFGATE

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"We urgently call on the people to voice out your concern and call for justice for Brandon and other human rights violations victims," the group said in a statement on Wednesday. "The attacks on human rights defenders must end."

2019 Aug 9 | A US human rights worker was shot outside his home in the Philippines. He was branded an ‘enemy of the state’ in 2015 | Rosie Perper, Business Insider

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“Brandon Lee is fighting every day and it’s important that we fight for him,” said Haney.

2019 Aug 30 | Family, elected officials call for increased security for injured journalist | Theophile Larcher, SF Examiner

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"It is shameful that a U.S. citizen is out there, currently under threat and not being fully protected by the Philippine government, let alone, adequately by the American government."

2019 Aug 30 | San Francisco supervisor calls on federal leaders to help inured activists in Philippines | NBC Bay Area

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“He was such a human rights activist that I was really proud of him representing Asian American studies, and pursuing the legacy of the third world liberation front,”

2019 Aug 28 | Alumnus in critical condition after shooting | David Mamaril Horowitz, Golden Gate Xpress

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“Duterte has created a culture of impunity,” Narissa said. “While the armed forces of the Philippines don’t necessarily take ownership of the killings and violence, they don’t denounce or condemn them.”

2019 Aug 20 | SF community rallies to support Brandon Lee, shot in the Philippines | Jeantelle Laberinto, 48 Hills

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Lee continued doing human rights work as the abuses and the extrajudicial killings by the military and vigilantes became more commonplace under Duterte.

2019 Aug 15 | SF human rights advocate fighting for his life after being shot in the Philippines | Randall, AsAmnews

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"I saw how he worked with the peasants. They were not rebels, and they were not armed," said the nun.

2019 Aug 12 | Philippine nun blames military in rights defender shooting | Sherwin de Vera, UCA News

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We have condemned attack and also ongoing threats against journalists and media organisations in the Philippines. We call on the authorities to investigate the assault immediately and to ensure that those responsible of the assault are found and brought to justice in a trial.”

2019 Aug 12 | Philippines: American journalist shot and injured | International Federation of Journalists

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“He had no roots in the Philippines but it didn’t matter to him because he recognized the humanity of all people – even if they were on the other side of the world, even if they were out of his sight, and it was that sense of connectedness, of compassion, of duty to others that compelled him to do what few of us would.”

2019 Aug 10 | Tearful rally urges action or journalist, activist shot in Philippines | Aaron Levy-Wolins, SFBAY.CA

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"This attack on Brandon was not a random act of violence in the country; it is a reflection of Duterte's oppressive regime,"

2019 Aug 9 | Supporters condemn alleged assassination attempt of San Francisco man in Philippines | SF Gate

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For Brandon’s odyssey is a moving reminder of the power of solidarity, of a young person’s ability to see beyond his world, and commit to a cause greater than himself.

2019 Aug 13 | He’s Chinese and he’s fighting for Filipinos in the Duterte era | Boying Pimentel, Inquirer.net

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Lee and several IPM staff had been tagged “enemy of the state” as early as 2015 in posters placed around the province. They were accused of being members of the communist rebel group New People’s Army (NPA), a claim they denied. The allegation continues to circulate on social media.

2019 Aug 7 | Philippines: US rights volunteer branded ‘enemy of state’ shot outside home | Carmela Fonbuena, The Guardian

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2019 Aug 8 | American volunteer branded ‘enemy of state’ and shot outside his home in the Philippines | Amy Gunia, TIME

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‘We are shocked’, says Antoinette Sprenger of IUCN NL, ‘by the brutal shooting of one of our partners who stands up for the rights of people and nature. Violence against environmental defenders in the Philippines is increasing at an alarming rate.’

2019 Aug 7 | Environmental defender in the Philippines shot in front of home | IUCN NL

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2019 : From the Philippines

“One of the people helping in asserting indigenous people’s rights was shot, and we fear that one of us might suffer the same fate”

2019 Dec 17| Ifugao folk reiterate opposition to Alimit hydro | Kimberlie Ngabit Quitasol, Northern Dispatch

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“Brandon Lee speaks!”

2019 Dec 11 | Human rights activist Brandon Lee now recovering in US | Frank Cimatu, Rappler

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the attack on Rappler is not just about Maria Ressa or their outfit, but a systematic attack on press freedom and the people’s right to know.

2019 Nov 22 | Groups demand justice for victims of Ampatuan massacre | Kimberlie Quitasol, Northern Dispatch

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Even before the attack against Brandon, most of our members have been the subject of direct threats and harassment, with one facing trumped-up charges of rebellion.

2019 Nov 6 | Statement: Encouraging violence against the media has no room in a democratic society| Northern Dispatch

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"let’s not permit this failed assassination attempt on my son’s life be in vain. Unlike Brandon, there are tens of thousands of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines who remain unknown because they do not receive the same international attention as Brandon. My son would say, his fight for justice is for them too.”

2019 Nov 10| Brandon Lee’s fight not over | Maria Elena Catajan, Sun Star Baguio

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It took a movement—here in the Bay Area and US-wide, in the Philippines and internationally to bring him back to safety,"

2019 Oct 30 | US Spe ker Pelosi urges probe|into shooting of American rights worker in Ifugao |Gaea Katreena Cabico, Philstar

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“Early Saturday morning, surrounded by friends, family, and community, Sunset native Brandon Lee arrived safely home to San Francisco on a medical transport following the assassination attempt in the Philippines that nearly claimed his life in August,”

2019 Oct 28 | American human rights volunteer shot in Cordillera back in the US | Frank Cimatu, Rappler

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I’m so, so glad to have Brandon back—but we’re not done yet. An outpouring of love and support moved mountains to make this transport happen, but we have mountains yet to move.

2019 Oct 28 | Right defender who survived slay try flown back to US | Raymund Villanueva, Bulatlat

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Lacay and Lee are only two names in the long list of IP and IP Human Rights Defenders (IPHRDs) targeted by the attacks on human rights advocates under the government of President Rodrigo Duterte.

2019 Oct 3 | Philipp ne IP under attack: A brief overview of the systemic thre|t, oppression and struggle | Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation

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“I know that if he had his way he would not want to go back to the US, but our priority now is his safety and recovery”

2019 Sept 28 | San Fr ncisco folks raising funds to bring home activist shot in Ifugao| Frank Cimatu, Rappler

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The government has not listed Brandon Lee’s shooting as part of the attack on journalists despite having a designated point person for safety and well being of media.

2019 Sept 20 | Ifugao journo to recover in US | Maria Elena Catajan, Sun Star Baguio

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“The situation is terrifying, but we cannot stay silent because the world will be scarier if there is no justice and no peace”

2019 Sept 18 | Wife of American journo: Military responsible for the attack | Kimberlie Ngabit-Quitasol, Northern Dispatch

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His colleagues may have stepped back, but this does not mean that they have backed down from the fight. We can always retreat to hold on the lifeline and gain more strength to persevere in challenging the situation that pushes poor people further in the margins and kills those who fight back.

2019 Sept 16 | An open letter to the wife, family, and friends of Brandon Lee | Innabuyog-Gabriela, Northern Dispatch

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“How can we trust the military, how can the farmers partner with them they are the ones that vilify and harass us, call us rebels and kill our leaders”

2019 Aug 9 | Indigenous groups vow to continue fighting amid intensified attacks | Kimberlie Ngabit-Quitasol, Northern Dispatch

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“They (military) are the suspected mastermind behind the shooting (of Lee) yet they are the ones investigating the incident. That is why we hope that the US embassy or other international bodies will conduct their own investigation or at the very least help ensure an impartial investigation”

2019 Aug 16 | Kin fear for safety of ambushed rights worker Brandon Lee | Kimberlie Quitasol, Inquirer

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Such incidents of vilification, harassment, surveillance of homes/offices, killings and trumped-up charges have been happening to indigenous peoples, their advocates, and institutions doing development work in communities all over the Philippines.

2019 Aug 13 | IP group slams Ifugao journalist attack | Maria Elena Catajan, Sun Star Baguio

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“Until President Rodrigo Duterte shows he is serious about protecting journalists, all the talk of investigations will come to nothing and violent attacks on the press will continue"

2019 Aug 10 | International groups express condemnation, concern on journalist shooting | Kyle Edward Francisco, Northern Dispatch

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“We cannot continue to allow a culture of violence to fester in our society. This rhetoric, alongside the vilification of human rights as a concept, leads to violence against innocents”

2019 Aug 10 | CHR, former solon join call to stop attacks against activities | Sherwin de Vera, Northern Dispatch

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These numerous acts of violence prove the immediate need for a law that will safeguard human rights defenders against senseless loss their lives and other forms of assault while fighting for the rights and dignity of every Filipino. It is equally part of the government’s obligation to make sure that human rights defenders and activists can do their work without fearing for their safety, and the safety of their family and loved ones.

2019 Aug 9 | Statement: On the shooting of human rights defender Brandon Lee in Ifugao | Atty. Jacqueline Ann C. de Guia, CHR Spokesperson

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Lee, who has long been red-tagged by the Philippine military, suffered multiple gunshot wounds on Aug. 6 when assailants fired at him. He survived the shooting incident but continues to be subjected to surveillance as he is still in critical condition in a local hospital.

2019 Aug 9 | Rights abuses, land grabbing confront indigenous peoples in PH | Janess Ann J. Ellao, Bulatlat

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“Even when he was being brought to the hospital, they said that he was telling that it was the army. He was saying it’s the army, it’s the army”

2019 Aug 9 | Nun believes military behind shooting of Ifugao journalist| Kimberlie Ngabit-Quitasol, Northern Dispatch

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“Brandon Lee’s assassination attempt is revealing of the type of government that we have when it threatens death to people like him, who serves the poor peasant and indigenous peoples so selflessly. We should not allow this to continue. This madness must stop”

2019 Aug 9 | 2 suspects eyed in Ifugao journalist shooting | Jonathan Llanes & Maria Elena Catajan, Sun Star Baguio

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“it was Lee’s dedication to seeking justice for victims of human rights violations and the rights of indigenous peoples, farmers, and peasants that drew the attention of the fascistic government, specifically by the 54th IBPA who had already been surveilling, threatening and harassing him prior to this incident"

2019 Aug 9 | Police form task force to probe shooting of Ifugao farmers’ group volunteer | Frank Cimatu, Rappler

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We view these attacks as an attempt by the enemies of the truth to silence independent and courageous reporting. Like other human rights defenders, journalists writing about human rights have been treated as targets by those who have no respect for life and liberties of the Filipino people.

2019 Aug 8 | On the attacks vs Brandon Lee of Nordis, Kristin Lim of Radyo Lumad: Hands off alternative media! | Pooled editorial, Altermidya

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Journalist and rights activist Brandon Lee is fighting for his life from the multiple bullet wounds inflicted by unknown assailants, despite his situation, the military continues their surveillance operations against him

2019 Aug 8 | Surveillance on shot journalist continues | Kimberlie Ngabit-Quitasol, Northern Dispatch

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In 2014, IPM staff member William Bugatti was shot dead. He was also allegedly included in an "order of battle" and was reportedly included in an alleged "target list" of the Philippine Army's 86th IB. He was supposedly tagged as "Utak ng NPA (Brains of the NPA)." Lee took over some of Bugatti's work, which included extending paralegal and direct service assistance to political prisoners in Ifugao province.

2019 Aug 7 | Human rights defender shot in front of house in Ifugao | Artemio Dumlao, Philstar

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The soldiers gathered data by interrogating and intimidating the organizations’ members and staff, the CHRA reported after Lee’s shooting.

2019 Aug 7 | Group reports continuing surveillance on wounded journalist | Raymund Villanueva, Davao Today

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the attack on Lee was part of the implementation of the Duterte administration’s counter-insurgency campaign called “Oplan Kapanatagan.” The Army has identified Ifugao as priority area on the joint police and military task force to end insurgency in the Cordillera region.

2019 Aug 7 | Baguio activists condemn attack on human rights worker in Ifugao | Kimberlie Quitasol, Inquirer

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“[Lee] has long been targeted by state-sponsored vilification campaigns and thus we are no longer surprised if state forces are involved in the shooting. We see no other suspect nor motive”

2019 Aug 6 | Cordillera journalist, rights defender shot | Kimberlie Ngabit-Quitasol, Northern Dispatch

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On May 24, during the launch of the AFP and Philippine National Police’s joint task force as part of counterinsurgency program Oplan Kapanatagan at Camp Bado Dangwa, the military identified Ifugao as a priority area in the Cordillera region. Two IPM officers who were also red-tagged by the military– Ricardo Mayumi and William Bugatti– were gunned down.

2019 Aug 6 | Journalist, rights defender shot, seriously wounded in Ifugao | Kimberlie-Ngabit Quitasol, Bulatlat

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2015 - 2018 : History of Threats and Harassment

Nordis Ifugao correspondent Brandon Lee is also the subject of continuing vilification and red-tagging. In March 2015, he was among those who received a picture of gamong, a burial blanket. His name was also listed in the leaflets accusing progressive personalities in the province as members of the NPA last April.

2018 Oct 21 | Red-tagging against progressives intensify | Northern Dispatch

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“Martial law keeps on haunting us like a ghost. The human rights violations is now worse than during the Marcos regime”

2018 Apr 15 | Ifugaos urged to resist tyranny | Brandon Lee, Northern Dispatch

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“In the end phase of the imperialist crisis, it is in the last frontiers of resources – in the ancestral domains of indigenous peoples and territories of national minorities that we see the aggression of the ruling classes”

2017 May 14 | National minorities unmask Oplan Kapayapaan | Brandon Lee, Northern Dispatch

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“All the description of me in the text message, from my hair to my beard and six pocket pants were correct except for the color of my shoes”

2017 Apr 24 | AFP-PNP delay Ifugao delegates to Cordillera Day | Kimberlie Ngabit-Quitasol, Northern Dispatch

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On the said day, Lee was at the provincial jail to visit political detainees, Virgilio Corpuz and Rene Boy Abiva. He dropped by the IPM office before proceeding to the South Ville Inn to meet three professors from the University of the Philippines who are part of a crew for a documentary on political prisoners.

2016 Aug 21 | No let up on human rights violations under Duterte | Kimberlie Ngabit-Quitasol, Northern Dispatch

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members of the IPM and community leaders received a brown manila envelope that contained a photo of a rectangular Ifugao woven cloth laid on the ground. The photo also bears the caption “gray May, June gloom, no sky July”. According to the Ifugao customs and traditions, the woven article is used to wrap the dead and the manner that it was laid on the ground in a rectangular structure signifies the dimensions of a grave. It is clearly a bastardization of the Ifugao culture to use the ‘traditional blanket of the dead’ for other intentions, especially death threats.

2015 July 19 | Letter from a political prisoner | Rene Boy Abiva, Northern Dispatch

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Like being visited by a ghost, they realized the chilling extent of the act as real threats to their lives and security. They were reminded of the death of their fellow IPM staff William Bugatti, who was shot to death on his way home to Bolog, Kiangan on March 25 last year; and where, before his death, he (Bugatti) was listed on the order of battle of the Army’s 86th Infantry Battalion and was described by the military as “Utak (brain)” ng NPA (New People’s Army), as a part of its vilification campaign against activists and environmentalists in the province.

2015 July 19 | Editorial: Stop threatening Ifugao NGO workers | Northern Dispatch

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Brandon is the epitome of a model concerned citizen, who actively works to improve his community. Besides being an amazing community activist, Brandon, as a human being, was well known and loved by his community in the Bay Area.

2015 July 12 | Statement: Stop vilification of activists in Ifugao | Laya Migrant Youth for Change and Action, Northern Dispatch

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“On one hand, I am proud of the work he is doing and fully support his decision to remain the in the Philippines. However, on the other hand, as a mother, I pray for his safety and to live free from defamation and libel while advocating for the basic needs for rural and indigenous communities in Ifugao province and the Cordillera Mountain region"

2015 Apr 12 | Int’l community up vs vilification | Kimberlie Ngabit-Quitasol, Northern Dispatch

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“Cases like these and that of Melissa Roxas, another US citizen and member of Bayan USA who was abducted and tortured by the AFP and eventually released in 2009, remind us that the Philippine government is still corrupt, repressive, malicious, and operates with a level of impunity acknowledged by the UN Human Rights Council”

2015 Mar 29 | Stop threatening Ifugao rights workers - Bayan USA | Kimberlie Ngabit-Quitasol, Northern Dispatch

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I understand this situation far too well. I understand exactly how Brandon feels when he tells me he cannot sleep at night for fear of an attack on him and his family. This type of vilification is how your administration silences the people most critical of its policies and those working to improve the conditions of the most marginalized in the country.

2015 Mar 29 | Open letter to Pres. Benigno S. Aquino III | Melissa Roxas, Northern Dispatch

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This is not the first time that intense surveillance, harassment and political vilification happened in Ifugao targeting activists and development workers. In October 2012, the 86th IBPA based in Tinoc, Ifugao released a copy of their so-called “Target List”. This document listed 28 individuals – development workers, activists and government employees. William Bugatti was then no. 21 in the list. He was extrajudicially killed on March 25, 2014.

2015 Mar 23 | Stop political vilification and harassment of human rights and indigenous peoples’ rights defenders in Ifugao, Cordillera, Philippines | Human Rights in ASEAN

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As an activist living in the Cordillera region in the Philippines who survived an assassination attempt, he embodies what it means to confront the beast that inflicts suffering in grassroots communities.

“The leaders want business as usual, which is finding ways to exploit labor,” Lee said. “Neoliberal policies offshore union jobs to countries with weaker labor laws.”

“Marcos Jr. will be selling the sovereignty and national patrimony of the Philippines to foreign investors this November during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting held here in San Francisco while indigenous peoples and workers are suffering,” Lee said.

“We established the U.N. in San Francisco. We’re supposed to be promoting human rights,” he said. “But with this exclusionary zone, they’ll be training their guns at us. … The U.S. should not be hosting APEC because of all the human rights violations that come out of APEC policies.”

Activist and critic Brandon Lee told me that the kind of trade policies born of summits like APEC “has led to the destruction of the environment, exacerbating the climate crisis and the displacement of many indigenous communities” in the Philippines.

“APEC is simply a tool of big business and the ruling elite to increase their profits at the expense of people and the planet,” said Brandon Lee of the International Coalition for Human Rights. “Contrary to the city’s branding, APEC will not be epic.”

“I will continue to fight as long as I breathe. My story is one of many. There are 1000 people here today, diverse and multi-generational, each with their own journey, all united against APEC. And we will not go gently into the night. We will rage!”

“APEC will not be epic. It will be a waste of millions of taxpayer dollars, and it will only result in further worker exploitation and environmental destruction.”

"We’re paying for snipers to be pointed at us."

“Tax dollars should not fund the Philippine military death squad. I urge you in Congress to pass the Philippine Human Rights Act,” Lee added.

the United States should not be unconditionally funding one of the world’s most repressive governments—one that has targeted United States citizens like environmental activist Brandon Lee, who remains paralyzed as the result of a 2019 assassination attempt.

“The U.S./Philippine relationship should not only be based on economic and military interest but most importantly, on the respect for human rights, justice and accountability to its people.”

“I was able to fly back to San Francisco and we are back in the US far from the military, but three years after, no investigation, no accountability and my colleagues in the Cordillera in the Philippines continue to be in danger”

In 2019, Brandon Lee, a Nordis correspondent and environmentalist, was shot by unidentified gunmen in front of his home in Lagawe, Ifugao. He was seriously wounded and is continuing to recover.

“It was the 5th infantry division and the 54th IB using my pictures they took of me to continue to red-tag the IPM and destroy my character on social media. So I ask this of you, who is the monster here? Who is the real terrorist?”

Filipinos and Cordillera people are demanding medical and economic support and the last thing they need is for the State to make a mockery of their heroes

On August 6, 2019, Brandon Lee, another correspondent, was shot four times by an unidentified gunman in front of his home in Lagawe, Ifugao, and is still recovering up to now.

Lee is considered to be one of the first U.S. citizens targeted in what the group called an “extrajudicial assasination attempt” under the Duterte administration as a consequence for his activism.

I could've easily been one of the 30,000 fathers, sons, mothers and children who have been killed brutally, mercilessly, with no due process whatsoever.

“I am forever grateful to the mass movement who watched over me, took care of me, protected me in the hospital, who fundraised for my hospitalizations and airlift, and who continue to advocate for my full recovery and seek justice,”

Red-baiting, vilification, heavy-intense surveillance from the military, as part of the state, has never bothered us before, until this dam.

A week after, on August 6, 2019, I was shot. Since then, they still continued the attacks on my character through their official pages

Another victim of red-baiting, Brandon Lee (Northern Dispatch), was shot (fortunately, he survived the assassination attempt).

She stressed that the same pattern of events led to the shooting of Ifugao correspondent Brandon Lee in August last year.

But even more so, the response to Brandon’s shooting is evidence of a mass movement — of international scale — amidst a worsening human rights crisis in the Philippines.

“His personality was a combination of compassion and empathy for the issues that the oppressed are enduring, and a strong sense of justice to advocate on their behalf,” Jeung said.

"Unlike Brandon, there are tens of thousands of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines who remain unknown because they don’t receive the same international attention as Brandon."

“I’m so glad we have Brandon back, but we’re not done yet… There’s much more work to be done to address the underlying injustices that led to Brandon’s attack.”

Brandon is more than a college classmate, he is our kuya, our family, and our kasama – someone you journey with in this life. And he is the best of us. A journeying companion that even 7,007 miles between San Francisco and the Philippines cannot sever.

Within a week of Brandon Lee’s shooting, the US Embassy agreed to build a $10 million counter-terror training center in Cavite, Philippines.

“What happened to Brandon should not be viewed as an isolated incident,” Supervisor Matt Haney said. “It is part of a campaign of targeting people who are standing up for environmental and human rights across the Philippines.”

The delegation will appeal to the Philippine government to ensure Brandon Lee’s safety and apprehend the assailants.

"We urgently call on the people to voice out your concern and call for justice for Brandon and other human rights violations victims," the group said in a statement on Wednesday. "The attacks on human rights defenders must end."

“Brandon Lee is fighting every day and it’s important that we fight for him,” said Haney.

"It is shameful that a U.S. citizen is out there, currently under threat and not being fully protected by the Philippine government, let alone, adequately by the American government."

“He was such a human rights activist that I was really proud of him representing Asian American studies, and pursuing the legacy of the third world liberation front,”

“Duterte has created a culture of impunity,” Narissa said. “While the armed forces of the Philippines don’t necessarily take ownership of the killings and violence, they don’t denounce or condemn them.”

Lee continued doing human rights work as the abuses and the extrajudicial killings by the military and vigilantes became more commonplace under Duterte.

"I saw how he worked with the peasants. They were not rebels, and they were not armed," said the nun.

We have condemned attack and also ongoing threats against journalists and media organisations in the Philippines. We call on the authorities to investigate the assault immediately and to ensure that those responsible of the assault are found and brought to justice in a trial.”

"This attack on Brandon was not a random act of violence in the country; it is a reflection of Duterte's oppressive regime,"

For Brandon’s odyssey is a moving reminder of the power of solidarity, of a young person’s ability to see beyond his world, and commit to a cause greater than himself.

Lee and several IPM staff had been tagged “enemy of the state” as early as 2015 in posters placed around the province. They were accused of being members of the communist rebel group New People’s Army (NPA), a claim they denied. The allegation continues to circulate on social media.

‘We are shocked’, says Antoinette Sprenger of IUCN NL, ‘by the brutal shooting of one of our partners who stands up for the rights of people and nature. Violence against environmental defenders in the Philippines is increasing at an alarming rate.’

“One of the people helping in asserting indigenous people’s rights was shot, and we fear that one of us might suffer the same fate”

“Brandon Lee speaks!”

the attack on Rappler is not just about Maria Ressa or their outfit, but a systematic attack on press freedom and the people’s right to know.

Even before the attack against Brandon, most of our members have been the subject of direct threats and harassment, with one facing trumped-up charges of rebellion.

It took a movement—here in the Bay Area and US-wide, in the Philippines and internationally to bring him back to safety,"

“Early Saturday morning, surrounded by friends, family, and community, Sunset native Brandon Lee arrived safely home to San Francisco on a medical transport following the assassination attempt in the Philippines that nearly claimed his life in August,”

I’m so, so glad to have Brandon back—but we’re not done yet. An outpouring of love and support moved mountains to make this transport happen, but we have mountains yet to move.

Lacay and Lee are only two names in the long list of IP and IP Human Rights Defenders (IPHRDs) targeted by the attacks on human rights advocates under the government of President Rodrigo Duterte.

“I know that if he had his way he would not want to go back to the US, but our priority now is his safety and recovery”

The government has not listed Brandon Lee’s shooting as part of the attack on journalists despite having a designated point person for safety and well being of media.

“The situation is terrifying, but we cannot stay silent because the world will be scarier if there is no justice and no peace”

His colleagues may have stepped back, but this does not mean that they have backed down from the fight. We can always retreat to hold on the lifeline and gain more strength to persevere in challenging the situation that pushes poor people further in the margins and kills those who fight back.

“How can we trust the military, how can the farmers partner with them they are the ones that vilify and harass us, call us rebels and kill our leaders”

“They (military) are the suspected mastermind behind the shooting (of Lee) yet they are the ones investigating the incident. That is why we hope that the US embassy or other international bodies will conduct their own investigation or at the very least help ensure an impartial investigation”

Such incidents of vilification, harassment, surveillance of homes/offices, killings and trumped-up charges have been happening to indigenous peoples, their advocates, and institutions doing development work in communities all over the Philippines.

“Until President Rodrigo Duterte shows he is serious about protecting journalists, all the talk of investigations will come to nothing and violent attacks on the press will continue"

“We cannot continue to allow a culture of violence to fester in our society. This rhetoric, alongside the vilification of human rights as a concept, leads to violence against innocents”

Lee, who has long been red-tagged by the Philippine military, suffered multiple gunshot wounds on Aug. 6 when assailants fired at him. He survived the shooting incident but continues to be subjected to surveillance as he is still in critical condition in a local hospital.

“Even when he was being brought to the hospital, they said that he was telling that it was the army. He was saying it’s the army, it’s the army”

“Brandon Lee’s assassination attempt is revealing of the type of government that we have when it threatens death to people like him, who serves the poor peasant and indigenous peoples so selflessly. We should not allow this to continue. This madness must stop”

We view these attacks as an attempt by the enemies of the truth to silence independent and courageous reporting. Like other human rights defenders, journalists writing about human rights have been treated as targets by those who have no respect for life and liberties of the Filipino people.

Journalist and rights activist Brandon Lee is fighting for his life from the multiple bullet wounds inflicted by unknown assailants, despite his situation, the military continues their surveillance operations against him

The soldiers gathered data by interrogating and intimidating the organizations’ members and staff, the CHRA reported after Lee’s shooting.

the attack on Lee was part of the implementation of the Duterte administration’s counter-insurgency campaign called “Oplan Kapanatagan.” The Army has identified Ifugao as priority area on the joint police and military task force to end insurgency in the Cordillera region.

“[Lee] has long been targeted by state-sponsored vilification campaigns and thus we are no longer surprised if state forces are involved in the shooting. We see no other suspect nor motive”

“Martial law keeps on haunting us like a ghost. The human rights violations is now worse than during the Marcos regime”

“In the end phase of the imperialist crisis, it is in the last frontiers of resources – in the ancestral domains of indigenous peoples and territories of national minorities that we see the aggression of the ruling classes”

“All the description of me in the text message, from my hair to my beard and six pocket pants were correct except for the color of my shoes”

Brandon is the epitome of a model concerned citizen, who actively works to improve his community. Besides being an amazing community activist, Brandon, as a human being, was well known and loved by his community in the Bay Area.