Gawad Kalinga (GK) founder Antonio “Tony” Meloto has been indicted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for two counts of qualified sex trafficking. The case involves two former beneficiaries, who accused Meloto of repeated sexual abuse in separate complaints.
According to Rappler, the DOJ National Prosecution Service filed a resolution, dated September 10, stating that Meloto “held a position of authority over the complainants,” who were enrolled in GK’s School for Experiential and Entrepreneurial Development (SEED). In SEED, young people are taught courses in agricultural and organic farming to equip them to lead community farms. The program is based at GK Enchanted Farm in Angat, Bulacan.
In the resolution, Deputy State Prosecutor Olivia Laroza-Torrevillas said that Meloto took the male complainants “under care and control, giving them shelter and [a] place of refuge, providing them some basic needs in order to facilitate exploitation.”
“When we speak of trafficking, we are dealing with the most vulnerable individuals of our society who are oftentimes the victims of trafficking,” Torrevillas said. “In these cases, both complainants joined SEED purposely to eradicate poverty in their families. They did not immediately complain and report the incident to Gawad Kalinga so as not to be punished or kicked out.”
One of the unnamed complainants was also part of SEED’s Spartan program in 2017, which supposedly helped young men, selected by Meloto, “develop discipline, fidelity, and honor,” according to the affidavit he filed in 2024.
A July report from Rappler states that the boys in the program were made to clean Meloto’s room and prepare food for him. In one instance of the complainant being sexually abused, he recalled Meloto as saying, “Payayamanin ko kayo. Payayamanin kita kaya makinig ka lang sa akin at sundin mo ang mga sinasabi ko kasi I can open heaven for you.”
The other complainant also said in his affidavit that he encountered similar forms of abuse that same year. After an internal investigation in GK, Meloto resigned in October 2017, 14 years after it was incorporated.
‘Hearsay and Lies’
Gawad Kalinga is a non-governmental organization geared towards poverty alleviation and youth development. One of its flagship programs is the Community Infrastructure Program, which facilitates the construction of houses and community buildings for impoverished families. GK has partnered with local government units, corporations, and schools across the country to hold outreach projects, where volunteers are allowed to join in building construction or rehabilitation activities and make donations to beneficiaries.
According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Meloto has denied the allegations lodged against him, citing loss of contact with the victims due to his declining health. He also said that the delay in the filing of the case raises suspicion, calling the complaints a “conspiracy of hearsay and lies that made heroes and victims of the real offenders.” Rappler reports that GK recently vacated Enchanted Farm as Meloto returned to the property.
