Slain journalist, Negros bishop among environmental award nominees

ILOILO CITY — A slain environmental journalist, a Catholic bishop and a Panay-based environmental group advocating 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 has campaigned for justice for nine Tumandok chieftains who were killed during security operations on Dec. 30, 2020, amid their opposition to the construction of the Jalaur River Multipurpose Project, also known as the Jalaur Mega Dam.

The group has also opposed the project, raising concerns over alleged corruption and what it described as the continued militarization of affected communities.

Another nominee is Bishop Gerardo “Gerry” Alminaza of the Diocese of San Carlos in Negros Occidental, who also serves as president of Caritas Philippines.

Alminaza has been active in environmental and climate campaigns, including efforts to keep Negros Island free from fossil fuel projects.

His advocacy has included protests and legal actions against coal and liquefied natural gas projects, fossil fuel divestment, and support for communities opposing large-scale mining.

Also nominated is RJ Nichole Ledesma, a Bacolod-based journalist who served as coordinator of Paghimutad Negros Island, an alternative media organization documenting the effects of large infrastructure projects and large-scale renewable energy developments on agricultural lands and farming communities.

Ledesma was also active in campaigns opposing 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, Negros Occidental, in April.

The Gawad Bayani ng Kalikasan is an awards program led by the Center for Environmental Concerns in coordination with various cause-oriented and environmental organizations.

The program recognizes individuals and groups involved in environmental protection, human rights advocacy and campaigns for a sustainable and equitable future.