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Cordillera youth leader named global peace award finalist

Aldwin Quitasol··2 MIN READ

Cordillera youth leader named global peace award finalist
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BAGUIO CITY — Christian Dave Ruz, director of the Cordilleran Youth Center (CYC), has been named one of 10 global finalists for the inaugural Pankaj Award to End Conflict.

Presented by Regent Global in partnership with One Young World, the international award recognizes young leaders addressing the root causes of conflict, promoting understanding, protecting marginalized communities and advancing sustainable peace.

Ruz's recognition highlights the efforts of youth organizations, human rights advocates and civil society groups in the Cordillera to promote peace and social justice.

In 2021, Ruz was among four Cordillera youth leaders who challenged red-tagging in court through a petition for a writ of amparo. The legal action led the Baguio Regional Trial Court Branch 3 to order Cordillera police to stop red-tagging activists.

Working with CYC and civil society organizations, including Tongtongan ti Umili (TTU) and the Cordillera Human Rights Alliance (CHRA), Ruz also supported local legislative initiatives promoting human rights protection.

These efforts contributed to the passage of a 2023 resolution declaring Baguio an Inclusive Human Rights City and the 2024 Human Rights Defenders Protection Ordinance, both aimed at strengthening human rights safeguards and accountability in local governance.

Efforts to expand the ordinance's objectives are underway through a European Union-supported consortium project involving the Center for Development Programs in the Cordillera (CDPC), Cordillera Women's Education, Action and Research Center (CWEARC) and Kaduami Northern Luzon.

The project seeks to strengthen civil society organizations and establish Human Rights Cities in four Northern Luzon cities.

CYC also promotes human rights-based governance across Northern Luzon and leads the Safe and Sound Cities program in Baguio, which engages young people in building safer urban communities.

Ruz is set to join the Pankaj Award cohort at the One Young World Summit in Cape Town, South Africa, in November.