[2] Claver was at the forefront of civil society groups that opposed the Marcos regime's World Bank-funded Chico River Dam project, which would have caused the displacement of Indigenous peoples living in the area.

[3] He was also responsible for drafting the 1986 Philippine bishops' statement, which was considered a key moment in the People Power Revolution that overthrew the Marcos dictatorship.

It was only in the 1860s when the Spanish colonial government finally established political control of the largely unhispanized central Cordillera region of Northern Luzon.

[8] It was during his years as a pastor of Bukidnon until the People Power Revolution that Claver became involved in human rights activism against the abuses of the Marcos regime.

Claver's remains were brought back to his hometown of Bontoc where a funeral was held for three days at the Santa Rita de Cascia Cathedral.

[14] Claver dedicated his numerous years as the bishop of Malaybalay (1969-1984) and Bontoc-Lagawe (1995-2004) to establishing Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs), a model of a local church that actively engaged as many laypeople in the grassroots as possible.

[18] Latin American Jesuits opposed the brutality of military dictatorships in their respective countries, and they were actively engaged with the social and political issues of the time, often at great personal risk.

The Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et Spes (1965), condemned "the immense economic inequalities which now exist" and called for a commitment to the struggle for social justice.

Instead of perceiving church criticism as a constructive move toward further reforms, the Marcos government adopted a defensive stance and often red-tagged religious social activists as "subversives."

While it is true that many members of the Catholic clergy went underground and joined radical movements, the Marcos regime reacted by violently cracking down a number of social action programs of the church, and silencing certain priests and nuns who allegedly engaged in subversive activities.

[19] Claver's non-violent opposition is exemplified by his involvement with the Association of Major Religious Superiors, composed of 2,500 Catholic priests and 7,000 nuns, most of them teachers, who have led prayer rallies and symposiums at leading women's colleges.

[21] The bishop used the pulpit, the print media, and the radio to condemn the violations and admonish the abusers, including Bukidnon Governor Carlos Fortich, whose family owned huge landholdings in the province.

One of his arch opponents was Vatican's papal nuncio, Archbishop Bruno Torpigliani, who was lamentably a personal friend of the first lady, Imelda Marcos.

John Caroll, SJ who was the head of the newly founded Institute for Church and Social Issues (ICSI) of the Ateneo de Manila University.

[26] The statement drafted by Claver for the CBCP is noteworthy since it was issued despite two warnings from the Vatican that they should tread lightly in view of the “grave danger” to the Church.

This pivotal moment marked one of the key turning points in the EDSA People Power Revolution, ultimately leading to the downfall of the Marcos dictatorship.