9 hours Ago By SunStar Cebu
By Frank Fernandez, Negros Occidental District Jail – Male Dormitory Bago City, Negros Occidental Fr. Brian Gore passed away just this Easter Sunday, April 20. It was a shocking piece of news I received here in prison in Negros.
His passing is deeply saddening as he was once a part of my life during my younger years. In many ways, our stories and histories are intertwined. I first met Fr.
Brian Gore around 1968 when I was studying for the priesthood at the Sacred Heart Seminary in Bacolod City. He had been invited as a resource speaker at a forum organized by the priest-professors for seminarians. He shared his rich experiences from his parish in the southern part of Negros.
A large number of farm workers, peasants, frontier settlers, and fisherfolk lived and worked in his area of ministry. Through his stories, we came to understand the exploitation and oppression perpetrated by some wealthy landlords and politicians, along with their hired armed forces. It was horrifying to hear his accounts of the hunger experienced by the poor, who were also victims of land grabbing, forced eviction, burning of homes, destruction of livelihoods, intimidation, unjust imprisonment, and killings.
Fr. Brian Gore emphasized that the poor victims of injustice deserved more than pity — they deserved to be accompanied in their struggles and sacrifices in pursuit of the dignity of all God’s children. When the US-Marcos dictatorship declared martial law nationwide on September 21, 1972, political repression and oppression intensified, primarily targeting the working masses.
Countless cases of human rights violations occurred, including massacres and extrajudicial killings, especially on the island of Negros. Yet, instead of cowering in fear, Fr. Brian Gore became even more daring in his commitment to what he believed was a “preferential option for the poor,” reflected in his campaign for “social justice” for the farmers and farm workers of Negros.
I was ordained a priest in 1974, which led to more frequent interactions with him as we exchanged experiences, especially during priests’ assemblies. I greatly admired his willingness to go to remote farming communities, to the sugarcane plantations guarded by state armed forces, to wherever the poor of Negros could be found. He never hesitated — he always wanted to be close to the oppressed and exploited, to those striving and fighting for their rights.
Because of his bold missionary work for justice, he became a frequent target of anger, red-tagging, and threats from some powerful landlords and military authorities on the island, led by sugar czar and martial law administrator Roberto Benedicto Sr. Around 1983, the news broke out that Fr. Brian Gore — along with Fr.
Niall O’Brien and others, later known as the Negros Nine — had been imprisoned in Kabankalan. They were accused of having ties with the NPA and were falsely implicated in the killing of Mayor Sola of Kabankalan, a known despotic landlord. Instead of breaking their spirit, Fr.
Brian Gore and his companions’ resolve grew stronger inside prison. A broad movement was formed calling for their release, involving the working masses, church groups, youth, lawyers, and the mass media. The streets, plazas, church pulpits, and courtrooms of Kabankalan became arenas of people’s struggle.
The resounding cry for justice for the Negros Nine garnered widespread sympathy both locally and internationally. After a year, the dictator Marcos and his administrator Benedicto were forced to release Fr. Brian Gore and the rest of the Negros Nine.
Fr. Brian Gore’s accounts of the bitter conditions endured by farm workers, peasants, settlers, and fisherfolk of Negros were not just stories — they were reality. He was a living witness to all these injustices, and in time, he himself became a victim of the oppressive system.
Fr. Brian Gore was among those who planted the seed of awareness in me about a society divided between a few rich and the many poor, between the powerful and those without a voice, between the strong and the weak. He helped open my mind and contributed to the continuing transformation of my worldview — of what my role should be as a Christian and as a servant of an oppressed and struggling people.
I learned much from Fr. Brian Gore. His good example of faithful service to the poor remains an inspiration to me and to many others whose minds and hearts he helped awaken to the unjust conditions in our country.
Thank you so much, Fr. Brian Gore!.
