Rodne Rodiño Galicha (born 2 June 1979, San Fernando, Sibuyan Island, Romblon, Philippines, eldest son of government employee Nenita Rodiño y Romero of San Fernando, Romblon, and postman Rodrigo Galicha y Galindez of Alcantara, Romblon) is a Filipino environmentalist and human rights activist currently involved in climate justice, biodiversity conservation and natural resources conflict management. He is the author of a pocket-sized book on emerging environment issues: We Are Nature. On 5 December 2013, he received the 2013 Hero for the Environment national individual award from the Center for Environmental Concerns in collaboration with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources of the Republic of the Philippines. He was Philippine Manager for The Climate Reality Project and currently doing his voluntary work for ecological and cultural organization called Bayay Sibuyanon in his home-island of Sibuyan. In 2018, the Philippine Tatler included him in the Generation T list as one of the 50 brightest connectors, creative visionaries, influential innovators and disruptive talents in the Philippines. He is also one of the recipients of the 2018 The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) of the Philippines. Stepping-up climate and environmental action, he heads Living Laudato Si movement in the Philippines; and national convener of Aksyon Klima Pilipinas. He co-founded OeconoMedia, a faith-based news platform that produces and distributes original reporting about the environment, the climate crisis, and the global Laudato si' campaign of the Catholic Church.
Education
Galicha studied elementary at San Fernando Central School and finished his secondary education at Sibuyan Polytechnic College (now Romblon State University). Desiring to become a priest someday, he took up preparatory college courses at the San Lorenzo Ruiz Seminary in Romblon, Romblon. He was then admitted to the Royal and Pontifical Interdiocesan Seminary of the Philippines, the University of Santo Tomas - Central Seminary where he stayed as resident seminarian for four years.
A graduate of Baccalaureate in Philosophy and Bachelor of Arts Classical from the Faculties of Ecclesiastical Studies, Galicha taught environmental ethics, sociology, Philippine history and philosophy at Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Intramuros, Manila, from 2002 to 2005. He became a visiting scholar at the Catholic University of Louvain in 2009 and obtained a Joint Diploma in Integral Ecology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in 2022.
Environment work
Protecting the biodiversity and natural resources of Sibuyan Island (known as the Galapagos of Asia) through sustainable programs and social media, Galicha served as executive director of Sibuyan Island Sentinels League for Environment Inc. (Sibuyan ISLE) since 2007. His group, Sibuyanons Against Mining (SAM) successfully campaigned against nickel mining giant BHP Billiton and lobbied for the suspension of mineral extraction of a Canada-based mining company being operated by a Filipino corporation. He also helped the Romblon Ecumenical Forum Against Mining (REFAM) in a successful campaign against a Canada-based mining giant Ivanhoe.
In June 2008, when typhoon Frank hit the Philippines, passenger ship MV Princess of the Stars sank near Sibuyan Island and toxic materials including pesticide endosulfan were feared to contaminate the sea. In a statement with Ecowaste Coalition, Galicha lamented that the possible contamination of Sibuyan Island and its marine environment with endosulfan, tamaron and other chemical cargoes, and bunker fuel from the sunken vessel is already affecting the life and livelihood of our people who depend mainly on the abundance of the sea. Together with various environment organizations affiliated with Ecowaste Coalition, they called for a ban on all uses of endosulfan (and successfully banned by COP5) and return it to its Israel-based manufacturer, and to immediately resolve all problems brought about by the maritime tragedy.