Established shortly after the tragic death in March 1957 of Ramon Magsaysay Sr., the seventh President of the Philippines, the Ramon Magsaysay Award, considered the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in Asia, preserves the beloved leader's legacy by honoring individuals who are exceptionally outstanding in their fields.
To be named a Ramon Magsaysay Awardee is to receive Asia's premier prize and highest honor, and this year, the Award was bestowed on four individuals, including Filipina peace negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer who, in 2012, chaired the Philippine government's Peace Panel tasked to negotiate peace with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front which led to the signing, in 2014, of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro by the Philippine government and the MILF.
Coronel, who was recognized by the RMAF board of trustees for her "unwavering belief in the transformative power of non-violent strategies in peacebuilding and her devotion to the agenda of harnessing the power of women in creating a just and peaceful world," is also co-founder of the Southeast Asian Women Peace mediators, the pioneering group of women engaged in convening safe spaces for dialogues and supporting mediation initiatives in countries like Myanmar and Afghanistan.
Also named a recipient of the Award is Korvi Rakshand from Bangladesh who, in 2007, established the JAAGO (Bangladeshi for "wake up") Foundation, a non-profit NGO aimed at addressing problems of access and quality of education for underprivileged children.
From small beginnings, JAAGO has grown into one of the largest non-profit organizations in Bangladesh, providing free-of-cost government-recognized English language primary and secondary education to underprivileged children through 11 traditional and online schools in 10 districts in Bangladesh.
Rakshand's work with the underprivileged, his visionary leadership in democratizing education, and his inspiring thousands of young people to heed the call of social transformation have been recognized by the RMAF board of trustees and have bestowed on him the coveted Ramon Magsaysay Award.
Agriculturist Eugenio Lemos, 51, was introduced to permaculture in 1999 and resolved that he would devote himself to promoting that kind of sustainable agriculture among his people. He established the Permakultura Timor-Lorosa'e, which includes a Youth Training Program that teaches youths water and natural resources management, farming, aquaculture, and agroforestry. Also a songwriter and a singer, Lemos communicates social issues through his songs. Recognizing Lemos's vision and passion for integrating local and indigenous cultures in his advocacy for caring for the environment and the well-being of people, the RMAF has named him one of the four recipients of the Ramon Magsaysay Award this year.
The fourth awardee is surgical oncologist, Dr. Ravi Kannan, who as director of the non-profit, philanthropy-funded Cachar Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Silchar, Barak Valley of Assam in India, expanded CCHRC into an innovative, widely admired full-service cancer care facility.
From an institution with limited facilities, CCHRC, under Kannan's leadership, is now a full-fledged comprehensive cancer hospital and research center. From a staff of 23 when he came on board, CCHRC now employs over 450 people.
Kannan's vision is CCHRC's: "…to become a state-of-the-art cancer center that ensures no individual develops cancer that can be prevented; that no patient is denied appropriate cancer treatment for want of resources; that no patient dies in agony and indignity; and that no family suffers treatment-induced poverty and grief" — a bold statement that the hospital translates into actual practice.
For his devotion to public service, commitment to pushing the boundaries of pro-poor health and cancer care, and for building — without expectation of any reward — a beacon of hope to millions in the Indian state of Assam, the RMAF board of trustees named Kannan one of this year's recipients of the Ramon Magsaysay Award.
This year's awardees share qualities and "greatness of spirit" inherent in other such laureates as St. Teresa of Calcutta, the 14th Dalai Lama, Grameen Bank founder and Nobel Prize awardee Muhammad Yunnus, One Village One Product conceptualizer Morihiko Hiramatsu, and the rest of the over 300-plus recipients of the Award whose selfless devotion to public service and outstanding contributions to society have transformed Asia and serve as shining inspiration to the world.
