2025 Ramon Magsaysay Foundation Award (RMAF) laureate Rev. fr. Flaviano “Flavie” Antonio L. Villanueva, SVD, delivered the 58th St. Thomas More lecture, where he discussed human dignity, moral courage, and the politics of care on February 2, 2026, at the St. Pier Giorgio Frassati Auditorium.
Formation forms from heart, character, and moral imagination
A missionary priest of the Societas Verbi Divini (SVD) ordained in 2006, fr. Flavie recalled how the seminary welcomed him despite his history, believing that hope and grace could still grow. “It taught me what Aquinas meant when he described how virtue is formed: Virtue is formed slowly, relationally, through accompaniment, correction, encouragement, and love,” he said.
“Conscience is not inherited. It is shaped by the people who walk with us, mentors who challenge us, communities willing to accept, classmates willing to journey on, [questions that leave us unsettled], and the grace that never gets tired of calling us back to the truth,” he said.
He then underscored that institutions like the UST matter in a unique way, as they go beyond academic excellence. They are spaces where conscience is formed. “Brilliance without conscience can be dangerous. Competence without compassion can be barren. Formation must attend to the mind–yes, it is true–but do not forget that formation also has to attend to the heart, the character, and the moral imagination,” he said.
Dignity that springs from the streets
For him, there is only one truth: every human person carries an inviolable dignity, and recognizing it is merely the bare minimum. He has dedicated his life to restoring dignity and hope among people deemed undeserving.
He founded the Arnold Janssen Kalinga Center in 2015 to provide dignified care and service for society’s marginalized—offering food, showers, counseling, and livelihood support to help them rebuild their lives with self-respect. “Dignity is not something earned. It is not the price for good behavior. It is not a privilege for the educated, the wealthy, or the powerful. Dignity is intrinsic, relational, and God-given.” fr. Flavie said. “When dignity is denied, moral collapse begins,” he said.
Through the Paghilom (Healing) program, fr. Flavie organized the exhumation, cremation, and inurnment of victims of the drug war, providing families a place of remembrance and healing at the Dambana ng Paghilom (Shrine of Healing) in La Loma Cemetery.
His transformation from a struggling drug user to a Catholic priest is a testament to one’s renewal, reversal of fate, and a chance to live again with the reclamation of self-worth.
The RMAF recognized him for understanding the “harsh realities faced by the vulnerable” and proliferating a “culture of healing, which is his lifelong mission and service to uphold the dignity of the poor and the oppressed.
He is the fifth RMAF laureate to lecture at the annual event that melds various disciplines to nation-building. The Faculty of Arts and Letters organizes the lecture it in honor of its patron saint.