In 1983 three priests and six lay workers on Negros island were charged with multiple murder. Over the next 14 months of trial and imprisonment they become known worldwide as the Negros Nine. These trumped-up charges were meant to stop the work of the Basic Christian Communities (BCC) in which the Nine had been among the forerunners in Negros. The goal of the BCC?s or the Kristiyanong Katilingban (KK) was the non-violent transformation of Negros society through total human development.