Keep MLK’s Internationalism Alive: Defend the Filipino Struggle for Just and Lasting Peace Against US Backed Fascism

This workshop covers the Impact of  land defenders in the Philippines and their fight for people’s rights in the country and abroad and how we in the Seattle community can support and be in solidarity with this struggle. Just this year human rights activists recorded 83,560 victims of human rights violations by the US-Marcos regime from December 2023 to December 1, 2024. There were 975 cases (or almost three case per day) of human rights violations across the country.

It is the whim of US military strategy to use the Filipino army and people on the American war strategy against China. President of the Philippines Marcos Jr.’s perpetuates authoritarian tactics through aggressive counterinsurgency programs. These programs, ostensibly aimed at combating communist insurgents, have often targeted activists, journalists, and human rights defenders.

The current administration has also been implicated in enforced disappearances of activists, a tactic reminiscent of the martial law era. These incidents, along with red-tagging (labeling individuals or groups as communist sympathizers without evidence), have created a climate of fear among civil society organizations and human rights groups. In the countryside, reports of aerial bombardment continue affecting the lives and livelihood of peasants and indigenous peoples in those areas. Reminiscent of martial law, residents in those communities are evacuating from their homes and schooling of children are gravely affected. In one reported incident, an A-29B Super Tucano, a single engine close military support aircraft made in the USA was used in the military air strike operation.         

A stark example of the dangers activists face is the case of Brandon Lee, an American citizen and environmental activist. In 2019, during the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, Lee was shot in an assassination attempt that left him paralyzed. Despite intensive advocacy efforts of people in the Philippines and United States – Brandon Lee has received zero compensation for the attack on his life while the Marcos Jr. regime fails to take action.

Victor Simoes and Wade Phillips International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines