Maui attorney Lance Collins was recognized for his public interest work on the Valley Isle. Photo courtesy

Maui attorney Lance D. Collins has received the Dr. Joseph P. Rizal Legacy Award for Peace and Social Justice.

The award recognizes individuals who embody the ideals of Philippine national hero Jose Rizal, particularly in advancing peace, justice, education and community.

“I’m very honored to receive this award,” Collins said. “There are so many great people who have received it in the past.”

The committee members who selected Collins said they were impressed by his pro bono work on behalf of the public interest, including his representation fighting the eviction of Front Street Apartment tenants in Lahaina and his appellate work in cases representing native Hawaiians fighting for their ancestral lands.

Collins, who has practiced law on Maui for more than two decades, has a Ph.D in political science at the University of Hawaii and a law degree from the University’s William Richardson School of Law. He became a per diem judge in Second Circuit Court in 2021.

Collins’ mother, once a teacher on Maui, was originally a resident of Batangas in the southwest Luzon Island in the Philippines.

The Knights of Rizal-Aloha Chapter honored Collins on Saturday at the Filipino Community Center in Waipahu.

Collins is also a multiple Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award-winning music producer, as well as a filmmaker and historian.

His filmmaking credits include the award-winning Lahaina-based film, “My Partner,” with director Keli’i Grace and the recently premiered Ilokano language web series, “All The Things I Leave You With,” directed by Jade Castro.

He also serves as long-time editor of the West Maui Book Series and is published in fields including legal history, governance and cultural studies.

The committee also recognized his contributions to filmmaking, music, local publishing and academic research as reflective of Rizal’s own multi-disciplinary legacy.

Melinda T. Kerkvliet, a longtime scholar of Philippine labor history and retired student services administrator at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, was the other awardee this year.

Previous award recipients include retired Hawaii Supreme Court Justice Simeon Acoba Jr., Center for Philippine Studies founding director Belinda A. Aquino, retired University of Hawaii administrator Amy Agbayani, former Hawaii Gov. Ben Cayetano and the Rev. Samuel Domingo, among others.