The Nobel Prizes and the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences are a set of awards given, according to Alfred Nobel's will, to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to mankind."
Since its establishment, the prize has been awarded 609 times to 975 people and 27 organizations including one Filipino Nobel laureate – Rappler journalist Maria Ressa who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 with Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov in recognition for their contributions to press freedom.
Before Ressa's win, Filipinos speculated multiple times when and who will be the first to win from their country. According to OPCW member Franz Ontal, winning the Nobel Prize is the last thing a Filipino could think of. Hence, the lack of Nobel laureates from the country.
The American news publication Foreign Policy has listed former Philippine president Corazon Aquino alongside Mahatma Gandhi, Eleanor Roosevelt, Ken Saro-Wiwa and Václav Havel as people who "never won the prize, but should have".Kenner, David. (7 October 2009). "Nobel Peace Prize Also-Rans". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 15 March 2023 Filipino journalist Romulo Virola noted Ramon Magsaysay, Manuel L. Quezon, Felipe Agoncillo, Concepción Felix, Josefa Llanes Escoda, Lope K. Santos, Trinidad Pardo de Tavera, Huseng Batute, Carlos Bulosan, and Zoilo Galang as "Filipinos who could have won the Nobel Prize if only they were nominated."
Laureates Overview Despite having only one Nobel laureate, numerous Filipinos (both citizens within the country and living in overseas communities) and Philippine-based organizations were affiliated with laureate organizations of which they contributed largely and were active members at the time the organization was awarded: the Philippine Red Cross being part of the 1963 Nobel laureate League of Red Cross Societies; the UNICEF Philippines being part of the 1965 Nobel laureate UNICEF; the Philippine Campaign to Ban Landmines being member of the 1997 Nobel laureate International Campaign to Ban Landmines; Vivian Talambiras-Cruz being part of the 2005 Nobel laureate International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Jose Ramon Villarin, Rex Victor Cruz, Juan M. Pulhin, Rosa T. Perez and Rodel Diaz Lasco being members and contributors of the 2007 Nobel laureate Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); Franz Ontal et al. being members of the 2013 Nobel laureate Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW); Jasmin Nario-Galace and Loreta Navarro-Castro being members of the 2017 Nobel laureate International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).
Nobel laureates As of 2021, there has only been one Filipino Nobel laureate: Year Image Laureate Born Field Citation 2021Maria Ressa2 October 1963 in Manila, PhilippinesPeace"for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace."The Nobel Peace Prize 2021 nobelprize.org(awarded together with Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov)
Nominations Nominees Since 1929, Filipinos have started to receive nominations for the prestigious Swedish prize. The following list are the nominees with verified nominations from the Nobel Committee and recognized international organizations. There are also other purported nominees whose nominations are yet to be verified since the archives are revealed 50 years after,Nomination and selection of Nobel Peace Prize laureates nobelprize.org among them: For Physics: Casimiro del Rosario (1896–1982), Edgardo Escultura (born 1936), Diosdado Banatao (1946–2025), Henry J. Ramos (born 1950) and Reinabelle Reyes (born 1984) For Chemistry: Baldomero Olivera (born 1941), Lourdes J. Cruz (born 1942) and Lawrence Que Jr. (born 1949). For Physiology or Medicine: Abelardo Aguilar (1917–1993), Roseli Ocampo-Friedmann (1937–2005), Fe del Mundo (1911–2011), Ernesto Domingo (born 1930), Katherine Luzuriaga (born 1956), Nicanor Austriaco (born 1968) and Aldo Carrascoso (born 1978). For Literature: Lázaro Francisco (1898–1980), Severino Montano (1915–1980), León María Guerrero (1915–1982), Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero (1910–1995), Bienvenido Santos (1911–1996), Edilberto K. Tiempo (1913–1996), N. V. M. Gonzalez (1915–1999), Cirilo Bautista (1941–2018), Lualhati Bautista (1945–2023), Nick Carbó (1964–2024), Virgilio S. Almario (born 1944), Cristina Pantoja-Hidalgo (born 1944), Jessica Hagedorn (born 1949), Vince Gotera (born 1952), Jose Dalisay Jr. (born 1954), Luisa Igloria (born 1961) and Gina Apostol (born 1963). For Peace: Larry Itliong (1913–1977), Jose W. Diokno (1922–1987), Narciso G. Reyes (1914–1996), Cardinal Jaime Sin (1928–2005), Miriam Defensor Santiago (1945–2016), Benigno Aquino III (1960–2021), Sis. Mary John Mananzan (born 1937), Antonio Meloto (born 1950), Joan Carling (born 1963), Rodne Galicha (born 1979), Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (founded in 1969), Free Legal Assistance Group (founded in 1974), Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (founded in 1974), Karapatan Alliance Philippines (founded in 1995) and Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform (founded in 2007). For Economics: Bernardo Villegas (born 1939), Raul Fabella (born 1949), Bruce Tolentino (born 1953) and Bp. Gilbert Garcera (born 1959). Image Nominee Born Died Years Nominated Citation Nominator(s) Physiology or MedicineOtto Schöbl27 August 1877 in Zdice, Czech Republic 13 October 1938 in Tokyo, Japan1929 "for his experimental work with frambosia which lead to knowledge of the etiology and pathogenesis of treponematous infections."Nomination archive – Otto Schöbl nobelprize.orgProceso Gabriel (1887–1935)Onofre Garcia (?)Proceso Gabriel2 July 1887 in Santa Ana, Manila, Philippines4 November 1935 in Manila, Philippines1929"for his contributions to the public health and the sanitary progress of the Philippines."Nomination archive – Proceso Garcia nobelprize.orgDario del Val (?) LiteratureAmado Yuzon30 August 1906 in Guagua, Pampanga, Philippines17 January 1979 in Quezon City, Philippines1970Poems for Screen Heroines (1949)The Citizen's Poems (1956)The Passion of Rizal, Poet and Martyr (1977)Nomination archive – Amado Magcalas Yuzon nobelprize.orgChung Tin-wen (?)1970, 1973Emeterio Barcelon (1897–1978)Jose Garcia Villa5 August 1908 in Manila, Philippines7 February 1997 in New York City, United States1971Footnote to Youth (1933)Poems by Doveglion (1941)Have Come, Am Here (1942)Selected Poems and New (1958)Nomination archive – Jose Garcia Villa nobelprize.orgAlejandro Roces (1924–2011)Pacita Icasiano-Habana (d. 2016) et al.1973, 1974Purita Kalaw Ledesma (1914–2005)Nick Joaquin4 May 1917 Paco, Manila, Philippines29 May 2004 San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines1985A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino (1950)The Woman Who Had Two Navels (1961)Cave and Shadows (1983)Francisco Sionil Jose3 December 1924 Rosales, Pangasinan, Philippines6 January 2022 Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines1985, 1994, 2006The Rosales Saga (1962–1984)Ermita (1988)Viajero (1993)Three Filipino Women (1992) PeaceCarlos P. Romulo14 January 1898 in Camiling, Tarlac, Philippines15 December 1985 in Manila, Philippines1952"for his contribution in international cooperation, in particular on questions on undeveloped areas, and as president for UN's 4th General Assembly."Nomination archive – Carlos P Romulo nobelprize.orgJose Maria Hernandez (1904–1982) United Poets Laureate Internationalfounded on 30 September 1963 in Manila, Philippines1967"for promoting world brotherhood and peace through poetry"Nomination archive – United Poets Laureate International nobelprize.orgAngel Macapagal (1917–1993) Marcelo Nubla September 12, 1898 in Manila, Philippines November 12, 1985 in the Philippines 1973 "for his identification of two evils, namely 'selfishness' and 'greed', and advocating for peace through elimination of these evils." Jose Roy (1904–1986) Rafael M. Salas August 7, 1928 in Bago, Negros Occidental, Philippines March 4, 1987 in Washington, D.C., United States 1974 "for his role as the Executive Director of the United Nations Fund for Population Activities and as Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations, and for achieving that more than ninety developing countries recognized the importance of establishing population programs." José Figueres Ferrer(1906–1990)Imelda Romualdez-Marcos 2 July 1929 in San Miguel, Manila, Philippines1978"for her valor in establishing diplomatic relations and peace dialogues with the Libyan dictator Mu'ammar Al-Qadhdhāfī.""In September of 1978, [Imelda Marcos] was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by four prominent Filipinos (among them the grateful labor secretary, Ople, and a supreme court justice) who praised her for having 'traveled more than 20,000 miles and braved the danger of the skies to meet an unknown man in the middle of the desert of Libya for the sake of peace for 44 million [Filipino] people.' The nomination came in the middle of a bid by Marcos loyalists to have Imelda named as deputy prime minister, the strongest attempt yet to put her in position to succeed the President," from Katherine Ellison, Imelda: Steel Butterfly of the Philippines, p. 153"Following this coup (1976 Tripoli Agreement), some of Imelda's adoring fans wrote the Nobel Prize committee recommending her for the 1978 peace prize for her valor. Presumably the valor referred to her many hours with Khaddafy, whom Newsweek had called "the most dangerous man in the world"!" from Carmen Navarro Pedrosa, The Rise and Fall of Imelda Marcos, p. 178.Blas Ople (1927–2003)Ramon Fernandez (1916–1997)Aloysius Schwartz18 September 1930 in Washington, D.C., United States16 March 1992 in Manila, Philippines1984, 1992"for his ministry to thousands of poor children around the world."Bob Dornan (born 1933)Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino25 January 1933 in Paniqui, Tarlac, Philippines1 August 2009 in Makati, Philippines1987"for her non-violent efforts to restore democracy in the Philippines."Antonio Fortich, D.D.11 August 1913 in Sibulan, Negros Oriental, Philippines2 July 2003 in Bacolod, Negros Occidental, Philippines1989"for being a strong advocate of the rights of the poor and a critic of an unjust social economic system."Fidel V. Ramos18 March 1928 in Lingayen, Pangasinan, Philippines31 July 2022 in Makati, Philippines1997"for ending the long years of conflict between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Fronts through the 1996 Final Peace Agreement."Tom Stern, Nur Misuari: An Authorized Biography, p. 5Organisation of Islamic CooperationNur Misuari3 March 1939 in Tapul, Sulu, PhilippinesShay Cullen, S.S.C.M.E.27 March 1943 in Dublin, Ireland2001, 2002, 2003, 2017"for their commitment in protecting the rights of women and children and campaigning for freedom from sex slavery and human trafficking in the Philippines."Biography of Fr. Shay Cullen – Preda Foundation, Inc. preda.orgPREDA Foundationfounded in 1974 in Zambales, Philippines27 Filipino women (part of the 1000 PeaceWomen)began in 2003 in Bern, Switzerland2005"in recognition of women's efforts and visibility in promoting peace all over the world."PeaceWomen Across the Globe , www.1000peacewomen.org, retrieved 22 July 2022.Leila de Lima27 August 1959 in Iriga, Camarines Sur, Philippines2020, 2021"for her campaign against extrajudicial killings and stand against dictatorial regimes."Hakima el Haité (born 1963)Maria Ressa2 October 1963 in Manila, Philippines2021"for her brave commitments to free expression, human dignity and democratic government in reporting on the authoritarian Duterte administration."Jonas Gahr Støre (born 1960)Victoria Tauli-Corpuz19 October 1952 in Besao, Mt. Province, Philippines2023"for her non-violent struggle to protect and strengthen the rights of indigenous peoples"Peace Research Institute Oslo
Nominators