Nicanor Perlas is a Global Awardee

August 18,2009

NICANOR PERLAS IS RECIPIENT OF THE MANUEL L. QUEZON GOVERNANCE  AWARD FOR CIVIL SOCIETY

Nicanor Perlas, who has expressed his intention to run for the Presidential elections in 2010 will be awarded the Manuel L. Quezon Governance award for Civil Society by the Good Citizenship Movement (GCM) and the Federation of Catholic Schools' Alumni/ae Associations (FECASAA) on August 21,2009 at the 4^th National Conference on Good Citizenship at the De La Salle University.

Perlas is a renowned civil society leader, an advocate of integral sustainable development, environmentalist, farmer, microfinance expert, global speaker, scientest, author,activist and educator. He is the recipient of several national and global awards including the prestigious Right Livelihood Award or Alternative Nobel Prize (2003) “for his outstanding efforts in educating civil society about the effects of corporate globalisation , and how alternatives to it can be implemented.” Perlas won the Global 500 Award from the UN Environmental Program (UNEP), and was one of the TOFIL Awardees for outstanding Filipinos, both in 1994 for his campaign against the abuse of pesticides and founding of the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. His other awards include the William F.Masterson,S.J. Agriculture Award(1995) and the Public Service Award, Municipal Government, Maasim, Iloilo(1972).

In his book “Shaping Globalization : Civil Society, Cultural Power and Threefolding”, Perlas detailed an approach to governance that involves the people in the process of change and transformation of the country through which the government will really become transparent and accountable. This approach of participatory governance resonances with Perlas' battle cry of “Tayong Lahat ang Sagot” The book is a global bestseller and has influenced diverse institutions, global thinkers and local governments in the Philippines. The United Nations has adapted a similar approach in implementing its Millennium Development Goals.

Nicanor Perlas, as civil society Co-chair of the Philippine Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD), helped formulate the Philippine Agenda 21, the nation's blueprint for sustainable development that provides an action plan for concretizing the vision of a truly participative form of governance for the Philippines. The agenda stresses dialogue with the people and meaningful partnerships among the different sectors of society for genuine development. He is a founder of the Centre for Alternative Development Initiatives (CADI) that has helped farmers shift from chemical intensive farming to bio dynamic farming. As board member of the Life Bank Foundation, Perlas has helped extend micro credit financing to jump start livelihood programs for thousands of families in remote barangays. Perlas was Co-Chair of the Green Forum of environmental groups, and a technical consultant to the Presidential Commission on the Philippine Nuclear Power Plant during the administration of President Cory Aquino,that found the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant defective. He has participated in peace negotiations with the MILF through his prior work with the GOP-United Nations Development Program in Mindanao. Perlas is prioritizing the resolution of social injustice in the Christian-Muslim conflict in his systemic strategic agenda that provides a wholistic and integrative approach to solving the ills of the nation.

Other awardees at the conference are Bishop Soc Villegas who will receive the Benigno S. Aquino award for Nationalism, Civil Society and John Gokongwei for Governance in Business.

Pls. visit www.nicanorperlas.com