MANILA (UCAN): The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation recognised Father Flaviano Antonio Villanueva, of the Society of the Divine Word 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.” Known as “Father Flavie,” he was named one of the 2025 Ramon Magsaysay Awardees.
He founded the Arnold Janssen Kalinga Centre in Manila in 2015 to provide dignified care to indigent Filipinos.
Its flagship program KALINGA—short for Kain-Aral-LIgo-naNG-umAyos [Eat, Learn, Bathe, to be Well]—offers meals, shelter, and hygiene facilities, but its vision goes beyond basic needs.
The centre helps beneficiaries rebuild self-respect and recover self-worth through education, livelihood, and community engagement. It became a sanctuary for widows and orphans of the drug war instigated by former president, Rodrigo Duterte, in 2016.
Through the Paghilom programme, Father Villanueva organized emotional healing, psychosocial support, and livelihood training, ensuring families could continue with their lives despite the trauma.
Justice can take many forms—among them, the recovery of one’s self-confidence, and forgiving oneself
Father Villanueva
He also mobilised resources for the Dambana ng Paghilom [Shrine of Healing], the country’s first memorial columbarium for drug war victims, where remains were exhumed, cremated, and transferred to proper resting places.
“Justice can take many forms—among them, the recovery of one’s self-confidence, and forgiving oneself,” Father Villanueva said in his award citation.
A former drug user himself, he turned his life around in 1995 and eventually became a priest in 2006. His personal transformation, he said, allows him to walk closely with the marginalised and show that redemption is possible for even the most broken lives.
His outspoken defense of drug war victims drew attacks during the Duterte administration. In 2020, Father Villanueva and 10 others, including Jesuit Father Albert Alejo, were accused of sedition—a charge dropped in 2023 [Sunday Examiner, 17 September 2023].
As we celebrate the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. The Chaplaincy to Filipino Migrants organises an on-line talk every Tuesday at 9.00pm. You can join us at:
https://www.Facebook.com/CFM-Gifted-to-give-101039001847033
I accept this honour on behalf of the countless homeless people in search of a fraction of space in the street to call ‘home’ and on behalf of the courageous widows and orphans victimised by the war on drugs
Father Villanueva
Despite threats, he pressed on, saying true justice is measured not only in courtrooms but in restoring dignity to those discarded by society.
“The Ramon Magsaysay Award is a hopeful reminder for everyone that Greatness of Spirit is not an elusive reality but a living voice disturbing us to march as ‘Witnesses of the Light.’ … I accept this honour on behalf of the countless homeless people in search of a fraction of space in the street to call ‘home’ and on behalf of the courageous widows and orphans victimised by the war on drugs,” Father Villanueva said.
He said their resilience to rise from the ashes of injustice, poverty, and impunity “is a stark revelation that from a fractured world, a beautiful spirit and person can arise.”
He joins two other awardees: the Foundation to Educate Girls Globally in India, honoured for addressing gender inequality in education, and Shaahina Ali of the Maldives, recognised for her pioneering leadership in protecting fragile marine ecosystems and tackling plastic pollution.
Established in 1957, the Ramon Magsaysay Award is Asia’s highest honor, often described as the region’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize. It celebrates transformative leadership and the “greatness of spirit” embodied by the late Philippine president, Ramon Magsaysay.
The 67th Ramon Magsaysay Awards presentation will be held on November 7 at the Metropolitan Theatre in Manila.
