SINO NGA BA SI FATHER FLAVIE AT BAKIT SIYA PINAG-IINITAN NG MGA DDS?
Father Flaviano Antonio “Flavie” Villanueva is a Catholic priest from the Society of the Divine Word and the founder of the Arnold Janssen Kalinga Center in Manila. The center provides food, bathing facilities, counseling, and basic services to homeless and marginalized Filipinos. His work focuses on restoring dignity to people who are often ignored by society.
He is also known for helping families of victims of the drug war through programs like Paghilom. This initiative helped locate remains of victims, assist in exhumation, provide cremation, and ensure that they receive proper burial. In short, he helped families who were left grieving and struggling to find closure.
For this work serving the poor and defending human dignity, Fr. Flavie was named a Ramon Magsaysay Awardee, considered Asia’s highest recognition for public service. Ibig sabihin, ang kanyang trabaho ay kinilala hindi lang sa Pilipinas kundi sa buong Asya.
So bakit siya ina-attack ngayon ng ilang DDS vloggers?
The answer is simple. Fr. Flavie has been vocal about the victims of the drug war and has worked closely with their families. Sa sobrang polarized ng political climate sa bansa, anyone who speaks about these victims is quickly labeled as anti-Duterte. Instead of discussing the substance of his work, mas pinipili ng iba na atakihin siya personally.
Pero kung aalisin mo ang politika at ingay online, the facts remain. Fr. Flavie Villanueva is a priest who chose to serve the homeless, comfort grieving families, and restore dignity to people who had none left. The Ramon Magsaysay Award recognized exactly that. And when a priest helping the poor and burying the dead becomes a political target, that says more about the state of our public discourse than about the priest himself.
Beware 