Pinay nun wins international HR prize

MANILA, Philippines - A Filipina Catholic nun is set to receive this year’s Human Rights Award given by the German city of Weimar for her work in Mindanao.

Sr. Stella Matutina, 47, is known for her campaign to protect farmers, fisherfolk and indigenous people against mining, according to CBCPNews, the official news service provider of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

Matutina is currently the secretary-general of Davao-based Panalipdan Southern Mindanao, a campaign and education center that deals with “threats to the environment and the people in the region.”

In a statement, the city council of Weimar said human rights violations against indigenous peoples (IPs) in Mindanao, caused by military forces, has increased dramatically over the past two years with over a hundred people killed.

“The Catholic nun engages herself extraordinarily for the rights of the native population, despite being exposed to permanent threats to her safety due to her engagement,” it said.

Sr. Stella would receive the award, which is supported by aid organization Missio, during a ceremony in Weimar on Dec. 10, coinciding with International Human Rights Day.

She would also receive 2,500 euros (about P125,000).

Last year’s recipients of the Human Rights Award were two kidnapped Syrian archbishops, Mor Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim and Boulos Yazigi, who campaigned for peace and reconciliation in the war-torn country.