A long-time ranger, who oversees the protection and conservation of the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park in Palawan, has been named among the 2025 International Women of Courage (IWOC) awardees, the U.S. Department of State announced.
“Angelique Songco, better known as “Mama Ranger,” leads a small team of rangers protecting the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park from illegal fishing and poaching,” according to the announcement.
The park is a reef ecosystem located in Cagayancillo, Palawan that “supports over 360 species of coral and almost 700 species of fish and a significant source of economic benefit to the Philippines through tourism, conservation, and the marine resources it supports.”
“Ms. Songco fuses maritime law enforcement with a passion for rehabilitation. Her leadership, for over two decades, has resulted in a dramatic decrease in trespassers per month in the protected area. As the reef flourishes, Ms. Songco and her rangers have become an example of what is possible when a strategic leader successfully merges conservation and anti-corruption efforts.”
The other winners are:
- Henriette Da – Burkina Faso
- Amit Soussana – Israel
- Major Velena Iga – Papua New Guinea
- Georgiana Pascu – Romania
- Zabib Musa Loro Bakhit – South Sudan
- Namini Wijedasa – Sri Lanka
- Amat Al-Salam Al-Hajj – Yemen
Madeleine Albright Honorary Group Award – “Women Student Protest Leaders of Bangladesh”
The awards ceremony will be held at the Department of State and will be hosted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and First Lady Melania Trump.
The IWOC, according to the announcement, “recognizes women from around the world who have demonstrated exceptional courage, strength, and leadership – often at great personal risk and sacrifice.”
The recognition began in 2007, in which the Department of State recognized more than 200 women from over 90 countries who were nominated by U.S. diplomatic missions overseas. The finalists are the chosen and approved by senior Department officials.
The awardees are then expected to participate in an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) and other programs in Los Angeles. — BAP, GMA Integrated News
