Pinoy organization one of ’06 RM awardees

Six individuals and a community development foundation from the Philippines were chosen as this year’s awardees of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award, which is considered as Asia’s premier prize.

The awardees were Ek Sonn Chan of Cambodia for government service, Park Won Soon of Korea for public service, Sanduk Ruit of Nepal for peace and international understanding, Arvind Kejriwal of India for emergent leadership, and Antonio Meloto and Eugenia Duran Apostol from the Philippines for community leadership and journalism, literature and creative communication arts, respectively.

Meanwhile, the Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation received the "community service award for harnessing the faith and generosity of Filipinos by bringing the dignity of a decent home and neighborhood" to poor people in slum areas in the country.

"The Ramon Magsaysay Awardees of 2006 continue this tradition of greatness of spirit in selfless service to the people of Asia through their courageous initiatives and passionate concern to assure every person, especially the disadvantaged, a life of dignity and efficacy," Ramon Magsaysay Awards Foundation president Carmencita Abella said at a press conference yesterday.

Chan, head of the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority (PPWSA), was recognized for "his exemplary rehabilitation of a ruined public utility, bringing safe drinking water to a million people in Cambodia’s capital city."

Soon, head of The Beautiful Foundation and The Hope Institute, was recognized for "his principled activism fostering social justice, fair business practices, clean government, and a generous spirit in South Korea’s young democracy."

Meloto, executive director of Gawad Kalinga, was honored for community leadership. He was recognized "for inspiring Filipinos to believe with pride that there can be a nation without slums."

A Filipino journalist and publisher, Apostol received this year’s award for journalism, Literature and creative communication arts. She was recognized for "her courageous example in placing the truth-telling press at the center of the struggle for democratic rights and better government in the Philippines."

Ruit, head of the Tilganga Eye Center, was honored for placing Nepal at the forefront of developing safe, effective and economical procedures of cataract surgery, "enabling the needlessly blind in even the poorest countries to rise again."

The 38-year-old tax officer Arvind Kejriwal, was the youngest among this year’s awardees. He was recognized for "activating India’s right to information movement at the grassroots," empowering the poorest citizens of New Delhi to fight corruption in the government.

The Ramon Magsaysay Award was established in 1957 to honor the memory and leadership exemplified by the former President Ramon Magsaysay.

The award is given annually to individuals or organizations in Asia who practice the same sense of selfless service like Magsaysay.