About the Gawad ng Bayani ng Kalikasan Award
The Gawad Bayani ng Kalikasan (GBK) is a biennial awards event and lecture series honoring Filipino heroes and heroines who have defended the environment and people’s rights.
The Philippines is endowed with rich natural resources that can support the country’s national development and ensure that the Filipino people can live in peace and prosperity. For the past century, however, our environment has gone through severe destruction and depletion. The degradation of our ecosystems has proceeded alongside poverty and the dislocation of communities from their lands and livelihoods.
In the face of these worsening environmental and socio-economic impacts, many among the Filipino people have offered their talents, efforts, time, and even their lives to defend the rights of the people and the country’s national patrimony. These heroes and heroines serve as an inspiration for the generations to come.
In salute and recognition of these struggles, the Center for Environmental Concerns, in cooperation with Gawad Bayani ng Kalikasan Awards Committee and the GBK’s collaborating organizations, is pleased to launch the fifth Gawad Bayani ng Kalikasan, an awards event and lecture series recognizing exemplary individuals and organizations who have become part of the people’s movement to defend our environment, lives, and rights.
Following a nationwide process of nomination and selection, each GBK honors a roster of seven awardees composed of three individuals, three organizations and most exemplary individual or organization. It is followed by a lecture series in the form of forums for dialogue, education, and learning between the awardees and the general public. It aims to establish a regular Philippine civil society organization mechanism to recognize, promote, and draw public awareness to the efforts of nameless individuals and communities who have selflessly spearheaded or helped lead significant environmental struggles and the protection of basic rights.
The Gawad Bayani ng Kalikasan aims to:
- To promote awareness of critical environmental issues and the situation of communities directly relying on the natural resources.
- To recognize the valiant struggles of the people to defend the environment, lives, and rights, to serve as an example and lesson to the people who continue to confront similar challenges.
- To recognize the exemplary deeds and initiatives of simple individuals and organizations who have contributed to the upholding the environment and people’s welfare at the national and/or local levels.
- To strengthen the link between the sustainable preservation and conservation of the environment with the struggle for social, economic, and political rights.
Categories
Seven recipients of the Gawad Bayani ng Kalikasan will be chosen by the Board of Judges: composed of three (3) individuals (Gawad sa Indibidwal), three (3) organizations (Gawad sa Organisasyon) and a recipient of the Natatanging Gawad (Most Distinguished Award).
From a shortlist of ten awardees, the Board of Judges will choose one (1) recipient of the Natatanging Gawad (Most Distinguished Award), in recognition his/her/their being an inspiration and example to the Filipino people for offering time and talents for the defense of the environment and advancement of the people’s welfare.
Gawad sa Indibidwal (Individual Award) – Awarded to individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary ability and effort to uphold the environment and people’s welfare, whether in the form of advocacy, campaigns, education, research, technology development, community services, mass media, or cultural work.
Gawad sa Organisasyon (Award for Organizations) – Awarded to people’s and community organizations and institutions that have demonstrated unity in upholding the welfare of the people and of the environment by exemplary actions and advocacy, campaigns, education, research, technology development, community services, mass media, or cultural work.
Criteria for Judging
The Board of Judges will be composed of three personalities selected by the GBK Steering Committee. They will choose the final list of awardees based on the following guidelines and criteria set by the Steering Committee:
Individual Awards (Gawad sa Indibidwal)
| Service and Devotion to the people Contributed to the Defense of the People’s Welfare | 25% |
| Defense of the Environment and National Patrimony Actively defended the people’s rights to a healthy ecology and national patrimony serving the welfare of the people | 30% |
| Leadership Gave inspiration to the people to continue engaging in the defense of the environment and people’s welfare | 25% |
| Integrity Demonstrated integrity and principles in the face of challenges and adversity | 20% |
Organizational Awards (Gawad sa Organisasyon)
| Characteristics of the Organization Maintains a significant and active grassroots constituency and upholds the principles of self-reliance and democracy | 10% |
| Organizational Objectives and Principles Upholds a scientific, pro-people, pro-environmental, patriotic and progressive orientation | 20% |
| Campaigns and Actions Initiates activities and campaigns to defend the environment and people’s welfare | 40% |
| Result or Concrete Achievements Attained concrete victories, helped communities through projects or campaigns, and enabled the organization to build its capacity and unity | 30% |