Antonio Oposa

Last updated
Antonio Oposa Jr.
NationalityFilipino
OccupationLaw
Known forenvironmental activism
AwardsRamon Magsaysay Award

Antonio Tony Oposa Jr. is a creative litigator, organizer and activist for environmental legislation in the Philippines. Oposa helped to litigate one of the first class-action suits taken by children to oppose environmentally-harmful actions taken by their government: in the 1990s, he represented 43 children from a local village to stop deforestation around the village that had been authorized by the Philippine government, on the basis that the children's rights would be harmed by the deforestation.

Though the case was initially thrown out in lower courts on the basis that the children did not have legal standing, the Philippine Supreme Court overturned these, affirming the children did have standing; between both legal and legislative action, the deforestation activity was halted. The case inspired several other environmental cases around the globe, with children serving as the plaintiffs to fight for these rights. [1] [2]

For his actions, Oposa won the 2009 non-categorized Ramon Magsaysay Award for his work. [3] [4] [5] He currently leads The Law of Nature Foundation. [6]

In 2013, Oposa sued seven individual and government officials for violating Philippines environment laws through noise pollution from sound amplifier during regular benefit dance events. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramon Magsaysay Award</span> National award in Philippines

The Ramon Magsaysay Award is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in governance, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealism within a democratic society. The prize was established in April 1957 by the trustees of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund based in New York City with the concurrence of the Philippine government. It is often called the "Nobel Prize of Asia".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramon Magsaysay</span> President of the Philippines from 1953 to 1957

Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay Sr. was a Filipino statesman who served as the seventh president of the Philippines, from December 30, 1953, until his death in an aircraft disaster on March 17, 1957. An automobile mechanic by profession, Magsaysay was appointed military governor of Zambales after his outstanding service as a guerrilla leader during the Pacific War. He then served two terms as Liberal Party congressman for Zambales's at-large district before being appointed Secretary of National Defense by President Elpidio Quirino. He was elected president under the banner of the Nacionalista Party. He was the youngest to be elected as president, and second youngest to be president . He was the first Philippine president born in the 20th century and the first to be born after the Spanish colonial era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlos P. Garcia</span> President of the Philippines from 1957 to 1961

Carlos Polistico Garcia was a Filipino teacher, poet, orator, lawyer, public official, political economist, guerrilla and Commonwealth military leader who was the eighth president of the Philippines. A lawyer by profession, Garcia entered politics when he became representative of Bohol’s 3rd district in the House of Representatives. He then served as a senator from 1945 to 1953. In 1953 he was the running mate of Ramon Magsaysay in the 1953 presidential election. He then served as vice president from 1953 to 1957. After the death of Magsaysay in March 1957, he succeeded to the presidency. He won a full term in the 1957 presidential election. He ran for a second full term as president in the 1961 presidential election and was defeated by Vice President Diosdado Macapagal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hilario Davide Jr.</span> Filipino judge (born 1935)

Hilario Gelbolingo Davide Jr. is a Filipino lawyer, professor, diplomat, constitutionalist and former politician, who served as the 20th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines and Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of the Philippines to the United Nations. As constitutionalist, Davide led the creation of the Legislative branch, and also wrote the most resolutions and the bulk of the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines, becoming its father and primary author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miriam Defensor Santiago</span> Filipina politician, lawyer, and author (1945–2016)

Miriam Palma Defensor-Santiago was a Filipino scholar, academic, lawyer, judge, author, and stateswoman who served in all three branches of the Philippine government: judicial, executive, and legislative. Defensor Santiago was named one of The 100 Most Powerful Women in the World in 1997 by The Australian. She was known for being a long-serving Senator of the Republic of the Philippines, an elected judge of the International Criminal Court, and the sole female recipient of the Philippines' highest national honor, the Quezon Service Cross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramon Magsaysay Jr.</span>

Ramon Banzon Magsaysay Jr. is a Filipino politician and businessman. He is the son of former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conchita Carpio-Morales</span> Filipino judge (born 1941)

Conchita Carpio-Morales is a former Ombudsman of the Philippines serving from 2011 to 2018. Prior to her appointment as Ombudsman, she held the post of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, served in the Lower Courts, as well as in the Department of Justice. She has secured appointments from five Philippine presidents: Ferdinand Marcos, Corazon Aquino, Fidel Ramos, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and Benigno Aquino III.

Antonio Gabriel Maestrado La Viña is a Filipino lawyer, educator, and environmental policy expert. A former undersecretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), executive director of the Manila Observatory, and dean of the Ateneo School of Government, he currently teaches law, governance, and philosophy in the Ateneo de Manila University, University of the Philippines, De La Salle University, Xavier University, San Beda University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Lyceum of the Philippines University, Pamantasang ng Lungsod ng Maynila, Far Eastern University, Ateneo de Zamboanga, Liceo de Cagayan, and the Philippine Judicial Academy. In addition to these teaching responsibilities, La Viña is the director of the Energy Collaboratory of the Manila Observatory. He was also the chair of the Partnership Council, Partnership for the Environmental Management of the Seas of East Asia. Likewise, he was chair of the Board of Trustees of the Forest Foundation of the Philippines until September 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fe del Mundo</span> Filipina pediatrician

Fe Villanueva del Mundo,, was a Filipina pediatrician. She founded the first pediatric hospital in the Philippines and is known for shaping the modern child healthcare system in the Philippines. Her pioneering work in pediatrics in the Philippines while in active medical practice spanned eight decades. She gained international recognition, including the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service in 1977. In 1980, she was conferred the rank and title of National Scientist of the Philippines, and in 2010, she was conferred the Order of Lakandula. She was the first female president of the Philippine Pediatric Society and the first woman to be named National Scientist of the Philippines in 1980. She was also the founder and the first president of the Philippine Pediatric Society, the first Asian to be elected president of the Philippine Medical Association in its 65-years existence, and the first Asian to be voted president of the Medical Woman's International Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eugenia Apostol</span> Filipino publisher

Eugenia "Eggie" Apostol is a Filipino publisher who played pivotal roles in the peaceful overthrow of two Philippine presidents: Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and Joseph Estrada in 2001. She was awarded the 2006 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature & Creative Communication Arts.

Florence Danon-Gayda, better known as Rosa Rosal, is a FAMAS award-winning Filipina film actress dubbed as the "original femme fatale of Philippine cinema." She is also known for her work with the Philippine Red Cross. For her humanitarian activities, she received the 1999 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service, an award widely considered as Asia's Nobel Prize. She is the mother of TV host Toni Rose Gayda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramon Magsaysay (Cubao) High School</span> Public, special science school in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines


Ramon Magsaysay (Cubao) High School (RMCHS), also referred to by its colloquial portmanteau Monsay or Monching, is a public high school in Quezon City, Philippines. It was founded as an annex of Quezon City High School (QCHS) in 1953 then became an independent school in 1958. It is one of the two schools in Metro Manila named after President Ramon Magsaysay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manuel Manahan</span>

Manuel Perez Manahan was a Filipino politician, journalist, businessman, and rural development advocate. He was a key government official during the administration of president Ramon Magsaysay, best known for his stint as the head of the Presidential Complaints and Action Commission. Together with Raul Manglapus, he co-founded the Progressive Party of the Philippines and served as its presidential candidate in 1957. He also served as Senator of the Philippines from 1961 until 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jose Vasquez Aguilar</span>

Jose Vasquez Aguilar is the first Filipino recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award and also the first awardee of the said award for Government Service. He is also a recipient in the government service category of the said award which he shared with Chintaman Deshmukh in 1959. He is also recognized as the Father of the Community School Movement in the Philippines, pioneering reforms to ensure that community life is integrated in the education system. His community school model banks on the partnership between teachers, parents, and community with the goal of ensuring a practical education using the vernacular as a medium of instruction.

Francisca Reyes-Aquino was a Filipino folk dancer and academic noted for her research on Philippine folk dance. She is a recipient of the Republic Award of Merit and the Ramon Magsaysay Award and is a designated National Artist of the Philippines for Dance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine Educational Theater Association</span> Theatrical organization in Manila, Philippines

The Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) is a theatrical association of artists and educators. It is the UNESCO-International Theater Institute Center in the Philippines. It is a non-profit, non-stock, non-governmental, and a registered donee institution. It was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2017.

<i>Juliana v. United States</i> 2015 lawsuit

Juliana, et al. v. United States of America, et al. is a climate-related lawsuit filed in 2015 by 21 youth plaintiffs against the United States and several executive branch officials. Filing their case in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon, the plaintiffs, represented by the non-profit organization Our Children's Trust, include Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, the members of Martinez's organization Earth Guardians, and climatologist James Hansen as a "guardian for future generations". Some fossil fuel and industry groups initially intervened as defendants but later requested to be dropped following the 2016 presidential election, stating that the case would be well defended under the new administration.

<i>Oposa v. Factoran</i> Landmark case in the Philippines

Oposa v. Factoran, G.R. No. 101083, 224 S.C.R.A. 792 (1993), alternatively titled Minors Oposa v. Factoran or Minors Oposa, is a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the Philippines recognizing the doctrine of intergenerational responsibility on the environment in the Philippine legal system. The case is a contributor to the development of international environmental law.

References

  1. Ellison, Katherine (May 9, 2012). "An Inconvenient Lawsuit: Teenagers Take Global Warming to the Courts". The Atlantic . Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  2. "An Inconvenient Lawsuit: Teenagers Take Global Warming to the Courts". The Atlantic . 9 May 2012.
  3. Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation. "Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation - Awardees". Rmaf.org.ph. Archived from the original on 2014-03-22. Retrieved 2014-03-21.
  4. "Antonio A. Oposa, Jr". William S. Richardson School of Law. 2013-08-01. Archived from the original on 2014-03-22. Retrieved 2014-03-21.
  5. "About CIEL - 2008 International Environmental Law Award Recipient - Antonio A. Oposa Jr". Ciel.org. Archived from the original on 2014-03-22. Retrieved 2014-03-21.
  6. "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  7. https://www.pressreader.com/philippines/sunstar-cebu/20130303/281685432265085 . Retrieved 20 August 2023 via PressReader.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)