Global rights group asks: What is Marcos Jr hiding?
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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