US Militarization in the Philippines: Abuse of People and Planet Webinar

Join ICHPR, IPS, Gabriela USA and CODEPINK's China Is Not Our Enemy campaign for a conversation with Brandon Lee, Alliyah Lusuegro, Abbey Irodistan, and Megan from CODEPINK about US militarization in the Philippines and the negative impacts on the planet and local communities.

Speakers
Brandon Lee is a Chinese American San Francisco native, human rights and environmental activist who moved to the Philippines in 2010 to live and work with the Igorot indigenous people in the Cordillera region of the Philippines. For supporting the Igorot self determination and defense of ancestral land, life and resources, Brandon became the first American targeted for assassination by the U.S. backed Duterte regime on August 6, 2019. The attack left him permanently paralyzed as a Quadriplegic, paralyzed in his hands and from the chest down. Today, Brandon continues to use his voice to advocate for human rights as a member of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines- United States chapter. He is currently on the "Fight Like Brandon Lee! A Speaking tour for Just Peace in the Philippines” from April to September this year.

Alliyah Lusuegro is the Outreach Coordinator for the National Priorities Project, serving as project manager for growing collaborations with immigrant rights organizations and movements against climate change. A first-generation immigrant, Alliyah has roots in the Philippines and now calls Washington, DC home. Her interest in anti-militarism comes from organizing for justice, healing, and sovereignty for traditionally disenfranchised communities.

Abbey Irodistan is the Secretary General of GABRIELA USA, a grassroots-based alliance of progressive Filipino women’s organizations in the U.S. seeking to liberate all oppressed Filipino women and the rest of our people. She is a second-generation Filipino, born in Watsonville, with a background in crisis mental health work. She was first engaged in the national democratic movement for the Philippines through student organizing, but found her home in organizing the women's sector as she learned more about the roots of oppression for Filipino women.

Megan Russell is the Campaign Coordinator for CODEPINK's China is Not Our Enemy Campaign. She graduated from the London School of Economics with a Master’s Degree in Conflict Studies. Prior to that, she attended NYU where she studied Conflict, Culture, and International Law. Megan spent one year studying in Shanghai, and over eight years studying Chinese Mandarin. Her research focuses on the intersection between US-China affairs, peacebuilding, and international development.