Filipino United Methodists give shelter amid violence against protesting farmers
A United Methodist church compound in the Philippines gave sanctuary to 4,000 farmers and indigenous people for more than a week after a recent protest for food relief turned deadly.
United Methodists have been speaking out against human rights violations against the Lumads, an indigenous people from the southern part of the nation, who have been caught in combat between government soldiers and paramilitary rebels. According to some reports, entire Lumad communities have been displaced.
Ciriaco Q. Francisco, bishop of the Davao area, faced harassment and threats for sheltering the protesters.
