Magsaysay awardees known today

MANILA, Philippines —  Recipients of the Ramon Magsaysay Awards will be announced today, the start of the awarding ceremony’s 65th Festival Season.

Aurelio Montinola III, chairman of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF), said the announcement would mark the birth anniversary of the late president Ramon Magsaysay, after whom Asia’s premier prize and highest honor is named.

Montinola said the announcement of the names of four awardees would be done at 11 a.m. Philippine time and will be livestreamed on the Ramon Magsaysay Award’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

“From visionaries, to innovators, to pioneers, to artists, to humanitarians, to peace-builders, this year’s batch of awardees are no different – we believe that these four individuals share the same unwavering courage and compassion for the common man that we have been pushing for since then,” Montinola said in a statement.

The Ramon Magsaysay Award is given to outstanding Asian leaders, some of whom are the Dalai Lama, Akira Kurosawa, Muhammad Yunus, Ela Bhatt and Sir Fazle Abed.

“Asia deals with numerous daunting social issues on a daily basis. Yet amidst these seemingly insurmountable challenges, we have witnessed individuals and organizations who share the same vision with the Foundation. This year, we proudly honor the four Magsaysay Awardees who fearlessly tackle these problems, employing a practice of empathy and a solution-oriented approach that bring about transformative change in their communities,” Montinola said.

RMAF president Susanna Afan said this year’s festival season aims to share more stories of “remarkable leadership,” aligned with the hope to continuously transform Asia and inspire the world.

The awardees will receive the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award medallion.

The award season will end on Nov. 11, with a presentation ceremony at the Metropolitan Theater in Manila.

It will be followed by the launch of the “Greatness of Spirit” book on Nov. 12.

“We believe that the work of this year’s four Magsaysay Awardees serves as a call of hope and inspiration for us all – that kindness and selfless service can transform lives for the better,” Afan said.