Filipino nun receives German rights prize

A Filipino Benedictine nun has been awarded the German city of Weimar’s Human Rights Prize this year for her work helping the poor in Mindanao.

“Sr. Stella Matutina is known for her campaigns to protect farmers, fisher folk and indigenous people against mining,” a statement posted on the website of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines said on Saturday.

The 47-year-old nun is currently secretary general of Panalipdan Mindanao, a Davao-based environment education center.

In a separate statement on the website of the German city, its city council noted human rights violations against indigenous people in Mindanao had increased dramatically over the past two years with over a hundred people killed.

“The Catholic nun engages herself extraordinarily for the rights of the native population, despite being exposed to permanent threats to her safety due to her engagement,” it said in German.

Matutina will receive the award, which is supported by aid organization Missio, during a ceremony in Weimar on Dec. 10, coinciding with International Human Rights Day.

She will also receive 2,500 euros, or P125,000.

The city of Weimar has been bestowing the human rights award on rights advocates and defenders since 1995.