Filipino priest honoured with Dutch rights award

Dec 03, 2021

Joseph Peter Calleja
Society of Divine Word priest Fr Flaviano “Flavie” Villanueva, a staunch critic of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, has been honoured with the prestigious Human Rights Tulip Award by the Dutch government. Fr Villanueva was among 12 nominees from around the world to receive the prestigious award, recognising his work for supporting families of slain suspects in Duterte’s drug war.

The award also recognised his relief efforts in feeding Manila’s street dwellers by providing them with legitimate sources of income like soap making and carpentry.

“The Human Rights Tulip is an annual award of the Dutch government to support human rights defenders in their work advancing and protecting human rights around the world while highlighting related issues,” said Ambassador Saskia de Land of the Netherlands during the presentation ceremony held in Manila on November 24.

The Netherlands supports human rights defenders so that they can work effectively and safely, she said.

“Human rights defenders stand up for vulnerable groups, expose human rights violations, and demand justice. Human rights defenders often work under difficult circumstances, receive death threats, and are jailed, tortured and sometimes even killed,” she underlined.

Each year since 2008, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs has bestowed the awards to an outstanding rights defender. Fr Villanueva received a trophy and a certificate that said the priest “has been working as a human rights defender for the past 35 years. He is the founder of the Paghilom programme, a Churchbased support group that works with families of victims of extrajudicial killings”.

Paghilom is Fr Villanueva’s foundation that sought to extend a healing touch to drug war victims’ families, including giving them a final resting place in Catholic cemeteries.

Defending human rights, especially the right to have food and a home, is never easy, especially for a clergyman, Fr Villanueva said.

“The work is most certainly enormous and even life-threatening at times. But when I see a homeless person smile and say ‘thank you’; when I see a homeless person sharing the meal we offer with those who failed to receive … whenever I see and listen to homeless people saying, ‘I have never felt so valued as a person until I came to Kalinga Centre [that cares for the homeless] and thus I will begin to value my life”,” I feel inspired, he said.

Fr Villanueva said he was also inspired by homeless orphans and widows.

“When I learn about an orphan under my care persevering in studying despite the harsh environment and feeble Internet connection; when a widow decides to arise from her slumber and work laboriously to become the father and mother her brood needs; when victims equate justice with the desire to heal their lives, yet courageously and non-violently stand for what is just and true, these stories are my pockets of hope; they are my inspiration,” he said. --ucanews.com