Tony Meloto | |
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Born | Antonio Meloto January 17, 1950 Bacolod, Negros Occidental |
Nationality | Filipino |
Occupation | social 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]
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]
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]
In May 2015, Meloto generated controversy for allegedly sexist remarks made at a conference at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. [2]