08/06/2026
𝗔𝘀 𝘄𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 #𝟵𝘁𝗵𝗚𝗕𝗞 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀, 𝗹𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝘂𝘀. 🌿✨
'Mother Daisy,' as her peers and contemporaries would call her, was unrelenting in her advocacy.
Vertudez Macapanpan is a daughter of Pakil, Laguna, having spent a lifetime defending the Sierra Madre mountains of the Southern Tagalog region. A teacher, poet, journalist, and long-time activist, her other nickname 'Mother Nature' just feels apt for her tireless advocacy against environmentally destructive projects. From her early days opposing the Chico River Dam in the Cordilleras in 1980s to embodying the current fight against the Ahunan Pumped-Storage Hydropower Plant in the Sierra Madre mountains, Macapanpan has stood at the frontlines of struggles to protect indigenous lands, farmers, and fragile ecosystems.
For decades, she has united farmers, indigenous Dumagat and Remontados communities, and church groups to resist dams and land grabs. Her work has often come at a personal cost. In June 2022, at age 69, she was violently arrested by 40 armed police officers while campaigning against the Ahunan project, a move widely condemned as a reprisal for her defense of the environment. Released on bail two months later, she refused to be silenced.
Macapanpan remains a symbol of resilience, teaching that service to the people and protection of the land are inseparable. 'Something has to be done,' she once said in an exclusive interview. She carries no regrets, knowing her life’s work has touched countless others who continue to fight for justice.
Nominate someone like Mother Daisy today, and let their environmental campaign bloom in recognition. Nominations for the 9th Gawad Bayani ng Kalikasan awards remain open for submissions.
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