Four individuals and an organization, among them a Filipino fisherman, were formally given Tuesday, Nov. 30 their prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award--Asia's equivalent of the Nobel Prize.
Dubbed by the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) as "ueroes that make us proud to be Asian," the five awardees received their medallion in a virtual ceremony graced by Vice President Leni Robredo.
The awardees are Roberto “Ka Dodoy” Ballon, a Filipino fisherman and community environmentalist from Zamboanga Sibugay; Steven Muncy, a humanitarian and peace builder working all over Southeast Asia; Muhammad Amjad Saqib, a poverty alleviation visionary from Pakistan; Firdausi Qadri, an affordable vaccine champion from Bangladesh; and WatchDoc, media truth crusaders from Indonesia.
"This year’s Awards once again displayed the diversity and inclusiveness of the Magsaysay Laureates. Coming from a wide range of backgrounds, visions, and undertakings, they prove that greatness of spirit can be found anywhere, and in everyone," the foundation said.
Ballon and Muncy were given the honor in Manila, while the other three got theirs in Islamabad, Dhaka, and Jakarta.
In his acceptance speech, Ballon said, “Let me say it again, no matter how simple we are, we are capable of rising above our weaknesses, capable of choosing what is good, and ever capable of making a new start."
"May this crusade continue until we can achieve our goal of becoming successful and progressive Filipinos in the entire nation and to the whole of Asia and the world," the 53-year-old fisherman added.
READ: Filipino fisherman from Zamboanga Sibugay leads RM Awardees
In his response, Muncy said, “Many have asked what has kept me going in this work for more than 40 years and counting. Quite frankly, I believe every person is a holy place. Meaning, there is something of the Divine in each of us. This, my brothers and sisters, is the basis for my firm conviction that we are indeed members of the same family- humanity.”
Despite the ceremony being postponed due to various lockdowns caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the Magsaysay Award rites carried on as "it is even more relevant today with a global health crisis, social and political conflicts, and widespread negativism overwhelming people everywhere," said RMAF Chairman Aurelio Montinola.
In her closing congratulatory remarks, Robredo said the people can look up to the awardees "as examples of how humanity ought to respond".
"When poverty strips people of their ability to take hold of their own destiny; when disease threatens those who have already lost so much to prejudice and inequality; when conflict tears people from their homes, their culture, their hope and memory; when silence and lies shrink the space for important stories to be told; when even the seas cry out for reprieve from the insatiable drive to extract and consume—we look to people such as the 2021 Ramon Magsaysay awardees and their fellows from across the decades as examples of how humanity ought to respond," the Vice President said.