The 2009 Ramon Magsaysay Award
The 2009 Ramon Magsaysay Awardees were announced yesterday at the Ramon Magsaysay Center in Roxas Blvd. It is my first time to be there covering this historical event and I'm very inspired to listen to each of the awardees story who came from different countries, which shares that we faced the same problem in our nation but in different sizes, shapes and colors. The lesson here is to do some actions with all our hearts in order to have a better solution. The awards event is organized by the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation and together with its board of trustees,this is to raise awareness of six awardees who are collectively advancing causes to improve lives across Asia, that's why they are called Asia's Heroes. They are the leading efforts hat put scientific knowledge, study and tools at the service of specific and vital human concerns such as affordable and effective health care, improved livelihoods, environmental destruction and basic human rights.
Magsaysay Awardees Resource Center (MARC)
The event also launched the online version and website of the Magsaysay Awardees Resource Center. The website is a collection of knowledge treasure from the awardees that can now be accessed globally. The site will feature the online version of articles, photos, videos and ebooks of all various awardees. The digital age will boost up the awareness of this online facility as they will use it for podcasting, online video streaming and even attach social networking widgets. This website will be helpful for students, teachers, practitioners and upcoming leaders.
MARC will contain
1. A repository and hub of information on the Magsaysay Award and Magsaysay Awardees;
2. A library with added focus on thematic areas and countries of Magsaysay Awardees' work;
3. A museum which will house Pres. Ramon Magsaysay's Memorabilia and Papers.
(will update this blog post soon for the direct url of the website, but first you can visit Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation site at http://www.rmaf.org.ph/marc/ )
I'm very amazed that there is such an award named after our President Magsaysay, and this award was organized in the year of his death in 1957, the award is Asia's highest honor and it was considered as the region's equivalent of the Nobel Prize. The awards celebrates the memory and leadership in the example of our 3rd Philippine President, that 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 formal awarding ceremony will be on August 31 at the CCP 4pm, I'll be there to cover it and will write my thoughts here in my blog.
There is also a lecture event conducted by the awardees. fellow blogger Arvin Ello provided us a list of schedules that can be found in his blog at http://vintersections.blogspot.com/2009/08/2009-ramon-magsaysay-awardees-lecture.html
more photos below
here are the list of awardees
Krisana Kraisintu, from Thailand. She is being recognized for "her placing pharmaceutical rigor at the service of patients, through her untiring and fearless dedication to producing much-needed generic drugs in Thailand and elsewhere in the developing world."
Deep Joshi, from India. He is being recognized for "his vision and leadership in bringing professionalism to the NGO movement in India, by effectively combining 'head' and 'heart' in the transformative development of rural communities."
Yu Xiaogang, from China. He is being recognized for "his fusing the knowledge and tools of social science with a deep sense of social justice, in assisting dam-affected communities in China to shape the development projects that impact their natural environment and their lives."
Antonio Oposa, Jr., from the Philippines. He is being recognized for "his pathbreaking and passionate crusade to engage Filipinos in acts of enlightened citizenship that maximize the power of law to protect and nurture the environment for themselves, their children, and generations still to come."
Ma Jun, from China. He is being recognized for "his harnessing the technology and power of information to address China's water crisis, and mobilizing pragmatic, multisectoral, and collaborative efforts to ensure sustainable benefits for China's environment and society."
Ka Hsaw Wa, from Burma. He is being recognized for "his dauntlessly pursuing non violent yet effective channels of redress, exposure, and education for the defense of human rights, the environment, and democracy in Burma."
more photo coverage in my album at Ramon Magsaysay Awardees press con and Magsaysay Award Resource Center (MARC) launching
The bloggers:
The photo coverage
