(1st UPDATE) Father Brian Gore, the last remaining Columban missionary in Negros, spent decades championing the rights of the oppressed. His death marks the end of a chapter in the island's ongoing struggle for land, justice, and dignity.
NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – Authorities pounced on him and his group in the early 1980s. By then, Father Brian Gore knew the drill – he had been watched, followed, warned, and red-tagged.
The Australian priest and several others were charged with murder in a case so thin it collapsed under scrutiny. Still, the damage was done. Gore, once a quiet Columban missionary, had become something else entirely: a name on diplomatic cables, a face on protest placards, a symbol of how far a dictatorship would go to silence dissent – and how far one priest would go to challenge it.
After his release, Gore didn’t leave. He stayed. He built a foundation, pushed for land reform, taught organic farming, and fought poverty with the same resolve he once brought into prison. He never sought attention. He just did his work the best way he could.
Father Gore, who became a symbol of resistance and social justice in Negros during the Marcos dictatorship, died on Easter Sunday, April 20, at the Holy Mother of Mercy Hospital in Kabankalan City. He was 81.
The Columban Missionaries in the Philippines confirmed his passing in a brief statement, saying Gore died at 7:30 pm. They gave no cause of death, citing only his advanced age.
Gore was the last remaining Columban missionary serving in Negros, where he spent decades championing the rights of marginalized farmers and promoting grassroots development through faith and activism. His death marked the end of a chapter in the island’s long struggle for land, justice, and dignity.
His work in the country began in the 1970s, in the thick of martial law under then-strongman Ferdinand E. Marcos. He rose to national and international attention in 1983, when he was arrested alongside Irish priest Niall O’Brien and a group of mostly Filipino lay workers. They were accused of murder in what human rights groups decried as a fabricated case meant to silence their advocacy.
The group, later known as the “Negros Nine,” spent over a year in prison. Their detention sparked international outrage and diplomatic pressure. In 1984, a court dismissed the charges for lack of evidence.
Their acquittal later inspired a new mission. In 2000, Gore and his companions established the Negros Nine Human Development Foundation (NNHDF), aimed at addressing rural poverty by promoting sustainable agriculture, especially organic farming in the hinterlands of southern Negros.
The foundation also ran feeding programs and joined anti-human trafficking campaigns, expanding its reach among vulnerable communities across the province.
Gore’s name became synonymous with the pursuit of justice for the poor in the sugarcane fields of Negros. His commitment outlasted the dictatorship that once jailed him.
“He stood with us when HBONI was just starting. We considered San Columbano Retreat House our home because of him,” said Kenneth Bacala, CEO of Hope Builders Organization Negros Island Incorporated. “Fr. Gore truly lived his purpose and fulfilled his mission to the people.”
San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza recalled Gore’s influence on his journey to the clergy. “Rest in peace, Fr. Brian – grateful for your accompaniment from the day I took the entrance to the Seminary, to my first summer pastoral assignment in Oringao with Fr. Rolex Nueva,” the bishop said.
“I was at the Immigration in Manila during the deportation case hearing of Fr. Gore. Can’t forget the Exodus Walk and Pilgrimage for Peace,” he added.
Kabankalan Mayor Benjie Miranda expressed grief on Facebook, writing: “Your services and generosity have touched countless lives, leaving a lasting legacy of love and kindness… your impact will live on.”
Negros Occidental 6th District Representative Mercedes Alvarez called Gore “a man of faith, compassion, and justice.”
“His unwavering commitment to faith, social justice, and the marginalized has left an indelible mark on all who knew him,” she said.
Dr. Donalyn Guerero-Lastima, a former journalist, said Gore left a personal impression on her during a gender sensitivity session.
“Listen to the experience of credible people,” she quoted him as saying – a lesson she carried into her own work.
For those who knew him, the legacy of the priest who stood with the poor – and paid the price for it – lives on in the communities he helped uplift.
“He was more than just a missionary,” Bacala said. “He was a voice of the oppressed, a friend to the forgotten, and a beacon of hope.”
The wake began Tuesday afternoon at the Columban Retreat Center in Sitio Batang, Barangay Talaban, Himamaylan City. Daily novena prayers are scheduled in the afternoons, with evening Masses at 6 pm throughout the wake.
On Saturday morning, April 26, Gore’s remains will be transferred to the Our Lady of Candles Chaplaincy in Barangay Oringao, Kabankalan City.
A final wake and public viewing will be held at the Cathedral of Saint Francis Xavier in Kabankalan on Sunday afternoon, April 27.
The funeral Mass is set for 1 pm on Monday, April 28, at the cathedral, followed by interment at the Kabankalan Catholic Cemetery. – Rappler.com
