A FILIPINA children’s rights advocate is named among the recipients for this year’s Ramon Magsaysay Award regarded as Asia’s version of the Nobel Prize.
The Board of Trustees of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) announced on Wednesday that Bernadette J. Madrid, together with her fellow Asian honorees, will be conferred with the continent’s premier prize and highest honor in formal Presentation Ceremonies to be held at the Ramon Magsaysay Center in Manila on November 30.
Each will receive a certificate and a medallion bearing the likeness of the seventh Philippine president, who was posthumously referred to by the people as the “Idol of the Masses.”
Pediatrician by profession, Madrid is cited for “her unassuming and steadfast commitment to a noble and demanding advocacy; her leadership in running a multisectoral, multidisciplinary effort in child protection that is admired in Asia; and her competence and compassion in devoting herself to seeing that every abused child lives in a healing, safe, and nurturing society.”
RMAF Chairperson Aurelio R. Montinola III said Madrid “joyfully creates safe spaces for children” amid the many hindrances that come her way.
The other awardees are Sotheara Chhim, a mental health advocate from Cambodia; Gary Bencheghib, an anti-plastic pollution warrior from Indonesia; and Tadashi Hattori, a sight-saving humanitarian from Japan.
The former is being feted for “his calm courage in surmounting deep trauma to become his people’s healer; his transformative work amidst great need and seemingly insurmountable difficulties, and for showing that daily devotion to the best of one’s profession can itself be a form of greatness.”
The Foundation’s leader shared that Chhim “reverses the compounding effect of generational trauma through his perseverance and empathy.”
Bencheghib, on the other hand, is honored for Emergent Leadership for “his inspiring fight against marine plastic pollution, an issue at once intensely local as well as global; his youthful energies in combining nature, adventure, video, and technology as weapons for social advocacy; and his creative, risk-taking passion that is truly a shining example for the youth and the world.”
According to Montinola III, he “inspires us all to reimagine the environmental impact we can make when we combine passion and a sense of adventure.”
Meanwhile, the latter will be recognized for “his simple humanity and extraordinary generosity as a person and a professional; his skill and compassion in restoring the gift of sight to tens of thousands of people not his own; and the inspiration he has given, by his shining example, that one person can make a difference in helping kindness flourish in the world.”
Hattori “demonstrates that dedication and kindness can elevate the definition of individual social responsibility,” said the RMAF chairperson.
Incepted in 1958, the Ramon Magsaysay Award, named after the late Philippine president, celebrates his legacy and leadership example. This accolade is bestowed annually to individuals or organizations in Asia who possess the same selfless service and transformative influence of the late and beloved Filipino leader.
“We are elated to share that our proud Asian tradition of celebrating Greatness of Spirit through the Ramon Magsaysay Award continues. This year’s roster of Magsaysay Awardees have all challenged the invisible societal lines that cause separation and have drawn innovative and inspiring ones that build connections,” Montinola III said.
“The extraordinary work of the 2022 Ramon Magsaysay Awardees is testament to the borderless and limitless possibilities of Greatness of Spirit. This year’s Magsaysay Laureates allow us Asians to be prouder of our identity and heritage,” RMAF President Susan B. Afan added. -30-
Image credits: Ramon Magsaysay Award/Facebook