By By Juliane Judilla
ILOILO City, Philippines — Hailing from the Visayas, a slain environmental journalist, a dedicated bishop, and an environmental group championing Indigenous peoples’ rights are among the nominees for the 9th Gawad Bayani ng Kalikasan 2026.
Among the shortlisted nominees is the Jalaur River for the People Movement (JRPM), a Panay-based environmental organization committed to protecting the ancestral lands of Tumandok communities in Central Panay. The group is nominated in the organization category.
JRPM is at the forefront of the campaign for justice for the nine Tumandok chieftains who were killed by military forces on December 30, 2020, amid their staunch opposition to the construction of the Jalaur Multipurpose Project, also known as the Jalaur Mega Dam. The group has also strongly denounced and criticized the project, raising concerns over alleged corruption and the continued militarization of communities in the affected areas.
Another nominee is Most Rev. Gerardo “Gerry” Alminaza, DD, the bishop of the Diocese of San Carlos in Negros Occidental and president of Caritas Philippines. Recognized as a leading environmental advocate, he champions ecological justice through campaigns to keep Negros Island fossil-fuel-free, protests and legal actions against coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects, fossil fuel divestment, and support for communities resisting large-scale mining.
Also nominated is RJ Nichole Ledesma, a Bacolod-based journalist who served as coordinator of Paghimutad Negros Island, an alternative media outfit that documents the impacts of large infrastructure projects and large-scale renewable energy developments on agricultural lands and farming communities. He was also active in campaigns against a Consunji-backed palm oil plantation in Candoni, Negros Occidental, and reclamation projects in coastal areas of Bacolod City.
Ledesma and 18 others were killed during a military operation in Toboso in April this year.
The Gawad Bayani ng Kalikasan (GBK) is an annual awards program led by the Center for Environmental Concerns, in coordination with various cause-oriented and environmental organizations. It honors individuals and groups who continue to fight for the environment, human rights, and a sustainable and just future. /PT
