Ramon Magsaysay awardees arrive

All six Magsaysay awardees for 2005 from Korea, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Thailand and Laos arrived here, easily brightening Manila’s overcast skies Friday. Carmencita Abella, president of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF), welcomed them to the country.

Korea’s Hye-Ran Yoon, 38, a trailblazing NGO worker, arrived with her husband, Won-Geun Lee, and 11-year-old son, Hyun-Sik Lee.

Advocacy journalist and newspaper editor Matiur Rahman of Bangladesh came with his wife, Maleka Begum, and was on the same plane with India’s 77-year-old cancer care specialist Dr. V. Shanta.

Indonesia’s anti-corruption activist Teten Masduki arrived at NAIA Terminal 2.

The four are respectively receiving awards for the following categories: Emergent Leadership; Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts. The latter two share the award for Public Service. The Magsaysay laureate from Thailand, Sen. Jon Ungphakorn for Government Service, and Laos’ Sombath Somphone for Community Leadership arrived Saturday.

All six will be conferred their awards on Wednesday, Aug. 31, at 4:30 p.m., at presentation ceremonies open to the public. The public may also attend the Magsaysay Awardees’ Lecture Series at the RMAF from Aug. 29 to Sept. 2. Contact 5621-3166 to 81 for details.