Tony Meloto

Tony Meloto
Born
Antonio Meloto

(1950-01-17) January 17, 1950 (age 76)
Bacolod, Negros Occidental
Occupationsocial activist

Antonio "Tony" Meloto (born January 17, 1950) is the founder of Gawad Kalinga, a Philippine-based poverty alleviation movement.

Meloto was named 2006 "Filipino of the Year" by the Philippine Daily Inquirer.[1]

Early life and career

Antonio Meloto was born on January 17, 1950, in Bacolod, Negros Occidental, to a middle-class family.[1] He took his senior high school year at De Anza High School in Richmond, California, as an American Field Service scholar.[1] He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics degree from Ateneo de Manila University, studying as a full academic scholar and graduating in 1971.[1] He then took a job as a purchasing manager for Procter and Gamble.[1]

Couples for Christ and Gawad Kalinga

Meloto became an active member of Couples for Christ in 1985 and quickly rose in leadership, having a key role in establishing CFC Family Ministries in 1993.[1] In 1995 he began a youth development program for juvenile delinquents in Caloocan.[1] The program evolved into Gawad Kalinga, a global movement for building sustainable communities within slum areas.[1]

In 2006 he was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership.[1]

Criticism

In May 2015, Meloto generated controversy for allegedly sexist remarks made at a conference at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.[2]

In 2025, the Department of Justice approved the filing of charges against Meloto for human trafficking after two male Gawad Kalinga beneficiaries accused him of sexual assault.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Welcome to Gawad Kalinga". gk1world.com. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  2. ^ "Tony Meloto speaks up about 'sexist' speech". ABS-CBN. May 26, 2015. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  3. ^ "DOJ indicts Gawad Kalinga founder Tony Meloto for sex trafficking". Rappler. September 17, 2025. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Meloto