Most Distinguished Awardee

ALYANSA NG MGA MAMAMAYAN PARA SA PAGTANGGOL SA KABUHAYAN, PANINIRAHAN AT KALIKASAN NG MANILA BAY (AKAP KA MANILA BAY)

2024

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.

DEAN TONY LA VIÑA

2024

Atty. Antonio “Tony” La Viña is a renowned environmental lawyer, climate policy expert, and academic. He is a leading voice in both national and international environmental discourse. Atty. La Viña’s work is characterized by his deep understanding of the intersection between environmental sustainability and social justice, with a particular focus on the protection of the ancestral domains of indigenous peoples.

CHAD ERROL BOOC

2022

Most Distinguished Awardee (Posthumous Award) Chad Booc was a staunch activist, teacher, and advocate for the Lumad’s right to education, and their ancestral lands, and to self determination. A well-known activist during his college days at the University of the Philippines Diliman, went on to graduate with honors (cum laude) from a Computer Science course.Back […]

REGINA PAZ “GINA” LOPEZ

2020

Most Distinguished Awardee (Posthumous Award) Regina Paz “Gina” Lopez dedicated her life in serving the people and the environment. Her environmental crusade is widely regarded through the enduring work of the ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation, Inc. – Bantay Kalikasan and her fearless stint as Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Gina founded the […]

Roberto S. Verzola

2020

Dedicated to work for social justice, ecology, and social transformation – this is how his colleagues describe the life of Roberto Verzola. Roberto, also known as “Obet” by most people, survived incarceration and torture in the Marcos dictatorship as a young activist. After Martial Law, he strived to build a more ecological and just society […]

Bai Bibiaon Ligkaian Bigkay

2018

Hailing from the lush peaks of Pantaron Mountain Range in the Davao region, Abiok Ligkaian Bigkay, or “Bai Bibiaon”, is known as the only living woman warrior and chieftain of the Lumad people that has taken the helm in asserting the Lumad’s right to their ancestral domains and in preserving its rich biodiversity and natural resources.

Talibon-Trinidad Integrated Farmers Association

2015

For over twenty six years, the Talibon-Trinidad Integrated Farmers Association (TTIFA) has been proudly toiling a land that they could call their own. This Boholano farmer’s organization labored rigorously to obtain their 1,973-hectare land in Sitio Panaghiusa, San Vicente, Trinidad. For TTIFA, sustainable agriculture became a means to make their community richer and healthier. TTIFA […]

Kalumbay Regional Lumad Organization

2013

Ever since the Kalumbay Regional Lumad Organization was founded in Mindanao, it ardently campaigned against the encroachment of ancestral domains by extractive companies (i.e. plantations, mining, and others), called for the disbandment of paramilitary groups and sought justice for slain Lumad leaders. The organization has long been a partner of the Rural Missionaries of the […]

Leonardo Co

2011

Botanist of the people : Leonardo Co Leonardo Legaspi Co (1953-2010) was a 56 years old when he was felled before his time: a selfless scientist for the people, botanist, conservation biologist, acupuncturist, ethnopharmacologist, and a teacher to countless people. Co was born in Manila on December 29,1953; the eldest and only son of Lian […]

Eliezer “BOY” Billanes

2009

“Karaniwang tao man ako, ninais kong magsilbi sa mamayan lalo na sa mga inaapi. Dahil sa imperyalismo,sa anyo ng dambuhalang pagmimina katulad ng Xstrata-SMI-Indopil at iba pang dambuha- lang kumpanya, pinapatay hindi lang ang ating lupa, ngunit pati ang kultura, buhay at kinabukasan ng ating mga anak. Ang terorismo ng estado, militarisasyon at sistematikong pagbulusok […]