HUMAN rights advocates in the Philippines have lauded Catholic priest Flaviano Villanueva for being one of the three 2025 Ramon Magsaysay Awardees.
Carlos Conde, a veteran rights worker in the country, said the Magsaysay Award to Villanueva “is one of the most important recognition not just of the priest but also of human right advocacy in general.”
“This is a testament to his commitment and compassion for victims of abuses but also a testament to the unrelenting commitment of victims to search for justice through him,” Conde told SunStar Philippines.
The Ramon Magsaysay Award, named after the country's 7th president, is known as the Asian counterpart of the Nobel Prize.
Villanueva, the 14th Catholic priest-recipient, was cited for “his lifelong mission to uphold the dignity of the poor and the oppressed, daily proving with unwavering faith that by serving the least of their brethren, all are restored.”
“Beyond preaching, Villanueva employed his management skills to undertake a needs analysis of his constituency -- and he realized that the poor needed not just food but dignity. Following the late Pope Francis’ example, he initiated showers for the homeless as both a literal and symbolic act of cleansing, to prepare them for a fresh start in life,” the citation reads.
Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation chairperson Edgar Chua, during the online awarding on August 31, added that Villanueva is among those priest-recipients “whose ministries have gone far beyond the walls of their churches, leading movements for justice, guiding the lost and standing in the breach for the most vulnerable.”
In 2015, he established the Arnold Janssen Kalinga Center “to serve the homeless and marginalized with dignity and compassion.”
During the bloody “drug war” of former firebrand President Rodrigo Duterte from 2016-2022, Villanueva was at the forefront in offering counseling to the families of the victims and giving decent burial for the drug war victims.
Some 6,000 people, mostly poor, died during police-led anti-drug operations, while various rights groups claimed nearly 30,000 drug war deaths due to vigilante-style killings.
“The fact a staunch critic of Duterte’s war on drugs was recognized is not only a validation of the painstaking grassroots work -- reaching out to organizing families of victims of the drug war -- but also the promotion of the defense of human rights at a time when defenders are vilified,” lawyer and activist leader Aaron Pedrosa said.
“The recognition of Fr. Flavie’s work and assistance to families of ‘drug war’ victims emphasize the need to pursue justice and accountability for the crimes against humanity by former President Rodrigo Duterte,” added Karapatan secretary-general Cristina Palabay.
Duterte is currently facing charges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague, Netherlands.
“This is a great award not just for Fr. Flavie but for victims of drug war killings and for all the advocates who supported them,” Conde added.
Meanwhile, Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), said Villanueva’s recognition “affirms his prophetic ministry among the poor, especially his courageous work of giving dignity to victims of extrajudicial killings and their families, and his tireless advocacy for human rights, justice, and compassion.”
The other two Magsaysay awardees were from Maldives and India. (Ronald O. Reyes/SunStar Philippines)