UP Law Faculty Named 2025 Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) Awardee

Atty. Raymond Marvic (Ice) C. Baguilat, a faculty member of the University of the Philippines College of Law, has been named a 2025 Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) Awardee in the  Law, Human Rights, and Indigenous Peoples category.

A Tuwali from Ifugao, Atty. Baguilat is recognized for his sustained, principled work advancing the rights of Indigenous Peoples through law, policy, and education. His advocacy is deeply rooted in his lived experience and activism, shaping a career that bridges legal scholarship with community-based service.

As Head Legal Officer of the UP Institute of Human Rights and Program Head of the Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program, Atty. Baguilat has been instrumental in integrating Indigenous Peoples’ rights and human rights education into legal training. He has authored handbooks, articles, course guides, and training modules that equip Indigenous Peoples, advocates, policymakers, and grassroots leaders with rights-based and culturally grounded legal frameworks.

Beyond the classroom, Atty. Baguilat has made a strong impact on national and local policy reform. He played a key role in the passage of the Bangsamoro Indigenous Peoples Development Act of 2024 and later drafted its implementing rules. He also helped lead consultations to ensure that non-Moro Indigenous Peoples in the Bangsamoro region are meaningfully heard by the regional and national government. At the local level, he drafted cultural protection ordinances for the municipalities of Kiangan and Hungduan in Ifugao. Through this work, he has helped advance recognition of ancestral domains/fusaka inged, self-governance, and cultural rights for more than 160 Indigenous Peoples across the country.

Internationally, Atty. Baguilat contributes to human rights and Indigenous Peoples’ discourse through engagements with ASEAN bodies, United Nations special mechanisms, and global democracy and governance institutions. His scholarship and policy work, published in national and international outlets, help bring Indigenous Peoples’ perspectives into global legal discussions. In the past year, he also facilitated an academic dialogue at the UP College of Law with Indigenous communities, welcoming then–UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples José Francisco Calí Tzay and UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights member Dr. Pichamon Yeophantong.

He is also a trustee of the global NGO, Indigenous Peoples Rights International, that grants Legal and Sanctuary Fund. The fund is a global initiative led by Indigenous leaders and organizations that seeks to address and curb the criminalization of Indigenous Peoples, as well as violence and impunity committed against them, while strengthening protection and access to justice for both actual and potential victims, individually and as communities.

The TOYM Award recognizes Atty. Baguilat’s quiet but resolute leadership. Adding to his previous recognition as a Finalist for Amnesty International Philippines’ Most Distinguished Human Rights Defender Award.

Atty. Baguilat graduated with a Juris Doctor Degree from the UP College of Law in 2011 and holds a Bachelor of Arts Major in Psychology from De La Salle University – Manila. He took his Master of Laws and graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2016 as an Australia Awards Scholar.

The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) Award is an annual national recognition that honors Filipinos aged 18 to 40 who have made meaningful contributions to their fields and communities. It recognizes both men and women for their selfless service, professional excellence, and impact on national development, aiming to inspire younger generations to pursue leadership, achievement, and service to humanity.