Catholic priest Flavie Villanueva among recipients of 2025 Ramon Magsaysay Award

Fr. Flaviano Antonio "Flavie" Villanueva, the Catholic priest who helped found an organization counseling victims of drug war, is among the recipients of this year's Ramon Magsaysay Award. 

The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation announced that Villanueva will receive the recognition for his work in restoring dignity to thousands of poor and homeless in Metro Manila. 

Villanueva is the founder of the Arnold Janssen Kalinga Center (AJKC), established in 2015 to provide "dignified care and service" to indigent and marginalized Filipinos. Since its inception, the center has served thousands in need which include those who may have engaged in drugs and petty crimes.

The priest also led the effort to locate the bodies of victims of extra-judicial killings during the government's crackdown for drugs.

Aside from Villanueva, other awardees include Shaahina Ali, Executive Director of Parley Maldives and Indian organization Foundation to Educate Girls Globally.

Ali will be recognized for her "unwavering commitment to protecting the marine ecosystem of the Maldives with passion, vision, and inclusivity — ensuring that her work will be carried on by a new generation of Maldivians seeking effective local solutions to global problems."

Foundation to Educate Girls Globally, meanwhile, will be recognized for its "commitment to addressing cultural stereotyping through the education of girls and young women — liberating them from the bondage of illiteracy and equipping them with the skills, courage, and agency to achieve their full human potential."

The 2025 Ramon Magsaysay Awardees will be formally honored during the 67th Awards Ceremony on November 7 at the Metropolitan Theatre in Manila.

Last year, Japanese filmmaker and animator Hayao Miyazaki, who is best known as the co-founder of Studio Ghibli, was among the awardees.

The Ramon Magsaysay Awards is considered Asia's premier prize and highest honor. Launched in 1957, it counts the likes of Mother Teresa, Corazon Aquino, Ryan Cayabyab, F. Sionil Jose, and Ka Dodoy Ballon as its laureates.

—Jade Veronique Yap/MGP, GMA Integrated News