PRESS RELEASE
25 July 2013
The Board of Trustees of the Ramon Magsaysay
Award Foundation (RMAF) today announced that this year three individuals and
two organizations from Afghanistan, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal and the
Philippines will receive Asia’s premier prize, the Ramon Magsaysay Award. The
Awardees are:
Ernesto Domingo, from the Philippines. He is being recognized for “his exemplary embrace
of the social mission of medical science and his profession, his steadfast
leadership in pursuing ‘health for all’ as a shared moral responsibility of all
sectors, and his groundbreaking and successful advocacy for neonatal hepatitis vaccination, thereby saving millions of lives in the Philippines.”
Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi (Corruption
Eradication Commission), from Indonesia. The organization is being
recognized for
“its fiercely independent and successful campaign against corruption in
Indonesia, combining the uncompromising prosecution of erring powerful
officials with farsighted reforms in governance systems and the educative
promotion of vigilance, honesty, and active citizenship among all Indonesians.”
Lahpai Seng Raw, from Myanmar. She is being recognized for “her quietly inspiring and inclusive
leadership—in the midst of deep ethnic divides and prolonged armed conflict—to
regenerate and empower damaged communities and to strengthen local NGOs in
promoting a non-violent culture of participation and dialogue as the foundation
for Myanmar’s peaceful future.”
Habiba Sarabi, from Afghanistan. She is being recognized for “her bold exercise of
leadership to build up a functioning provincial government against great
odds—intractable political adversities, a harsh and impoverished environment,
and pervasive cultural discrimination—serving her people with a hopeful
persistence grounded in her abiding commitment to peace and development in
Afghanistan”
Shakti Samuha (“Power Group”), from Nepal. The organization’s founders and members are being
recognized for “transforming
their lives in service to other human trafficking survivors, their
passionate dedication towards rooting out a pernicious social evil in Nepal,
and the radiant example they have shown the world in reclaiming the human
dignity that is the birthright of all abused women and children everywhere.”
Established in 1957, the Ramon Magsaysay
Award is Asia’s highest honor and is widely regarded as the region’s equivalent
of the Nobel Prize. It celebrates the memory and leadership example of the
third Philippine president, and is given every year to individuals or organizations
in Asia who manifest the same sense of selfless service that ruled the life of
the late and beloved Filipino leader.
“The Magsaysay awardees of 2013,” says RMAF President
Carmencita Abella, “are three remarkable individuals and two
amazing organizations, all deeply involved in creating sustainable solutions to
seemingly intransigent social problems in their respective societies, problems
which are most damaging to the lives of those trapped in poverty or ignorance.
These problems are manifest in seemingly very diverse and disparate
issues--prolonged armed conflict, preventable disease and death, human
trafficking and exploitation, corruption with impunity, weak governance and
political instability--yet each of this year’s awardees is showing us that
there are ways to build genuine success, one smart and persistent step at a
time. Working selflessly in unpretentious yet powerful ways, they are showing
us how commitment, competence and collaborative leadership can truly create
ripples of change, even from the bottom of the pyramid.
“While their solutions are distinctively
their own, there is one thing these Magsaysay laureates share: a greatness of
spirit that infuses their leadership for change. Working with others, they all
single-mindedly apply their skills and energies to their passion for improving
the lives of others. They all refuse to give up, despite daunting adversity and
opposition. They are all deeply rooted in hope. We have much to learn from
them, and much to celebrate about their greatness of spirit.”
The five 2013 Magsaysay awardees join the
community of 296 other Magsaysay laureates who have received Asia’s highest
honor to date. This
year’s Magsaysay Award winners will each receive a certificate, a medallion bearing the likeness of the late President, and a cash
prize. They will be formally conferred the Magsaysay Award during formal
Presentation Ceremonies to be held on Saturday, 31 August 2013 at the Cultural
Center of the Philippines, to which the public is cordially invited.
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For more information, please contact:
Mr. Manuel H. Hizon
RMAF Communications Director
Tel. No.: +63-2-521-3166 to 75 locals 161 or 180
Telefax: +63-2-524-2390
Website: www.rmaf.org.ph
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