Previous Year's awardees
Most Distinguished Awardee
ALYANSA NG MGA MAMAMAYAN PARA SA PAGTANGGOL SA KABUHAYAN, PANINIRAHAN AT KALIKASAN NG MANILA BAY (AKAP KA MANILA BAY)
AKAP Ka-Manila Bay is an alliance of church members and fisherfolk organizations dedicated to addressing the issues faced by marginalized communities along the Manila Bay area. Their mission is to defend the livelihoods, communities, and environment, particularly the coastal regions of Manila Bay.
Individual Awardees
NESTOR ROTAQUIO
Tatay Nestor Rotaquio is a farmer and fisherfolk. He has served for many years as a chieftain of his community in Brgy. San Marcelino, General Nakar. He served as his community’s representative when the Pacific Coast City project threatened to privatize and seize the sacred cave of the indigenous peoples.
DR. CHARITO MEDINA
Dr. Charito P. Medina or Dok Chito, as he is known to family, friends, and colleagues, is an environmental biologist and agroecologist. As a scientist, he is notably dedicated to challenging the corporate-driven farming system, advocating instead for a people-led farming system focused on food security rather than profit.
ATTY. GRIZELDA “GERTHIE” MAYO-ANDA
Atty. Grizelda “Gerthie” Mayo-Anda, GBK 2024 Individual Awardee, is a lecturer at Palawan State University and an environmental lawyer. As a lecturer at Palawan State University, she has profoundly shaped the next generation of lawyers, emphasizing the critical role of environmental law and advocacy in their practice.
Organizational Awardees
WILD BIRD CLUB OF THE PHILIPPINES
The Wild Bird Club of the Philippines is a nationwide club of birdwatchers interested in the wild birds of the Philippines and in the preservation of these birds. Through their main advocacy of preserving the biodiversity of birds, encouraging and educating the public regarding birds and the respective habitats through organizing numerous bird watching events, and nature tours, they assist in the protection of the habitat along with the sustainable management of both the flora and fauna of the Philippines through public engagement and awareness raising on the importance of protecting the habitat of our local birds, and the biodiversity of our country in general.
PANGASINAN PEOPLE’S STRIKE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT (PPSE)
Pangasinan People’s Strike for the Environment (PPSE) is a provincial environmental defenders alliance established in 2020. The PPSE convenes church workers, the youth, and concerned Pangasinense for environmental campaigns, programs, and defense work across the whole province.
KATIPUNAN NG MGA LEHITIMONG MAGSASAKA AT MAMAMAYAN SA LUPANG RAMOS (KASAMA-LR)
The Katipunan ng mga Lehitimong Magsasaka at Mamamayan sa Lupang Ramos (KASAMA-LR) is an organization of unified and persistent group of farmers and their families fighting for their rights by campaigning for genuine agrarian reform. KASAMA-LR was established in 2010 by farmers who wished to reignite their drive to fight for their land following decades of both setbacks and a lack of tangible progress.
News & Features
[STATEMENT] Honoring Indigenous environmental heroes at the forefront of environmental protection
“If we lose our natural resources, we all die.” The late Lumad leader Bai Bibiaon Ligkayan Bigkay once reminded us of this truth: the survival of the Indigenous Peoples (IPs) and the fate of our planet are the same.
[STATEMENT] Defend Environmental Defenders, Junk Twin Terror Laws!
Six years ago, Republic Act No. 11479—the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020—was signed into law. What followed has been a systematic assault on those who dare defend our country’s natural resources. Today, we mark six years not of countering terrorism, but of weaponizing state power against environmental human rights defenders under both the ATA and its companion legislation, the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012.
[STATEMENT] Defend Windel Bolinget and the Cordillera Defenders! Hold Red-Taggers Accountable! Junk the Anti-Terror Law!
Gawad Bayani ng Kalikasan (GBK) welcomes the recent decision of the La Trinidad Municipal Trial Court this June 2 holding former PROCOR chief R’win Pagkalinawan liable for red-tagging and ordering him to pay damages to Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) Chairperson Windel Bolinget. This ruling is a significant victory not only for Bolinget and the Cordillera peoples’ movement, but for all environmental defenders, indigenous peoples, and human rights advocates who continue to face vilification, harassment, and threats for their work and advocacy.
[STATEMENT] Justice for the New Bataan 5! Justice for our environmental advocate Chad Booc!
Today, February 24, as we mark the 4th anniversary of the tragic deaths of volunteer teachers Chad Booc and Gelejurain Ngujo II, community health worker Elgyn Balonga, and two community volunteer drivers—otherwise known as the New Bataan 5 [1], Gawad Bayani ng Kalikasan (GBK) solemnly honors their memory and the deeper truths their life of service to the people reveals.