The Board of Trustees of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) have announced that this year the Ramon Magsaysay Award will be awarded to three individuals and two organizations from Afghanistan, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal and the Philippines.
The Awardees areErnesto Domingo, from the Philippines. Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi (Corruption Eradication Commission), Lahpai Seng Raw, from Myanmar, Habiba Sarabi, from Afghanistan. Shakti Samuha (“Power Group”), from Nepal
The Ramon Magsaysay Award is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay’s example of integrity in government, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealism within a democratic society. The Ramon Magsaysay Award is often considered Asia’s Nobel Prize. The prize was established in April 1957 by the trustees of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund based in New York City with the concurrence of the Philippine government.
RMAF President Carmencita Abella, said, “ There 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.
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.