EDITORIAL - Asian heroes

There are people who want to bask in the spotlight, and there are those who prefer to work in anonymity. To the second type belong most of the men and women whose work is recognized annually by the foundation that was set up in honor of a Philippine president who was known for his humility, simplicity and integrity.

Ramon Magsaysay died 52 years ago today in a plane crash, cutting short his presidency. To this day Filipinos are still looking for a leader with the same qualities that endeared him to the nation. Today the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation recognizes the contributions to humanity of six individuals: Krisana Kraisintu of Thailand, Deep Joshi of India, Yu Xiaogang and Ma Jun of China, the Philippines’ Antonio Oposa Jr. and Burma’s Ka Hsaw Wa.

This year’s awardee for emergent leadership, Ka Hsaw Wa, documented human rights and environmental abuses in his country, which continues to be ruled by one of the world’s most repressive regimes. He set up the non-profit EarthRights, taking on multinational giant Unocal, and helping the youth in his country and neighboring lands plant the seeds of civil society.

Like the Burmese, Oposa is being honored for his work in relation to the environment. Oposa, an environmental lawyer, is best known in the country for successfully urging the Supreme Court to order government agencies to clean up Manila Bay. Although the order is controversial, it helped raise public awareness of the need to clean up the bay. Oposa, a believer in the right to a healthy environment, also argued that the court could protect the interests of future generations. The SC later upheld the principle of “intergenerational equity.”

China’s Yu is being honored for his work in promoting an integrated watershed management program in a country where the construction of dams and poor watershed management have displaced millions of people. His compatriot, Ma, publicly identifies China’s water polluters and helps them address pollution problems.

India’s Deep Joshi set up the Professional Assistance for Development Action, a non-profit organization that trains university-educated Indian youth in efficient grassroots development work. Thailand’s Krisana, meanwhile, formulated the first generic versions of two antiretroviral drugs and a “cocktail” drug for treating HIV at only a fraction of the cost of the branded versions, boosting the global battle against AIDS.

These are all individuals who have dedicated themselves quietly and selflessly to alleviating human suffering. Without self-promotion, they do their part to make the world a better place.