MANILA, Philippines – President Aquino yesterday congratulated this year’s recipients of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award, considered the Nobel Prize of Asia.
“Today we pay tribute to who is perhaps the most-beloved president in our nation...President Magsaysay lived with simplicity and humility, with commitment to justice and idealism. Our awardees have spent their lives in the service of these same ideals,” he said in his address during yesterday’s awards ceremony at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
“To all of our awardees, congratulations. Thank you so much for being symbols of the highest ideals of humankind. Thank for accepting this award, for recognizing the honor that the Philippines, through the Ramon Magagsaysay Foundation, has bestowed upon you. Thank you for expressing your solidarity with our shared advocacy of a righteous path,” he said.
The award was conferred on seven people this year: Filipino educators Christopher Bernido and Maria Victoria Carpio-Bernido, former Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba, newspaper photographer Huo Daishan from China, Chinese bureaucrats Pan Yue and Fu Qiping, and Bangladeshi social worker A.H.M Noman Khan.
In separate acceptance speeches, husband and wife Christopher and Victoria emphasized the need to upgrade the competence of Filipino students in the sciences. The couple was cited for introducing alternative methods of learning science and non-science subjects in a struggling high school in Central Visayas.
“We believe that education and a mastery of the sciences will, in the long run, spell the difference between a world of plenty and a world of hunger, disease, suffering, darkness, and a hostile environment,” said Christopher. “We, therefore, gratefully accept the Ramon Magsaysay Award which challenges us to pursue further a new paradigm in teaching designed to bypass barriers that have prevented present-day educational practices from providing quality education to a new generation.”
Victoria, on the other hand, said educational reforms should not be merely centered on material comforts but in fully developing the learning capacity of students.
“The challenge is, can we give these children of farmers, fishermen, tricyle drivers, and laborers, the education at par with elite schools in Manila, in Berlin, or in New York? Clearly, facilities-wise this would be impossible,” she said. “But then, we do not look at the material aspects. Rather, we focus on the mind, spirit and heart of each child, and there we see untapped capabilities and incredible resiliency.”
Akiba, recognized for his advocacy against the proliferation of nuclear weapons, said that while denuclearization is just one of the many problems in the world, elimination of nuclear weapons would pave the way for greater cooperation between nations in other aspects.
“I do not claim that it is more important than any of the myriad other global problems we face. Certainly, our environmental problems are equally urgent and threatening. However, our success in solving those other problems will be determined by our handling of nuclear weapons,” he said.
“This very process would be both the cause and effect of a dramatic change in international relations, signaling a shift that would open the door to cooperation in other spheres.”
Huo, cited for his documentation and active campaigning to find solutions to the pollution destroying the Huai River, said receiving the award is a responsibility to continue his work in protecting the river.
He said the prize money he would receive would be used to install more water purifying systems in the villages near the river.
“I hope by doing so, the farmers in these villages, who are innocent victims of pollution, will understand our Magsaysay Award from a much closer distance, and feel its impact in their own lives,” said Huo.
Fu, conferred the award for initiating environment-friendly economic development in the once impoverished Tengtou village, credited the villagers for their accomplishment.
“This award belongs not only to me but to all the people who contributed to the success of the village,” he said in his acceptance address delivered by his representative Yuan Kun.
“Tengtou, though a small village, strove to create a miracle, which fully shows that Chinese peasants are capable of changing their destiny...My favorite hobby is to get up every morning and walk around the village. Whenever I pass by the orderly and beautiful houses while walking through the clean and green streets, I feel deeply the changes that have taken place in our village,” he added.
Pan, vice minister of China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection, did not send a representative to receive his award. The citation crediting his work in actively implementing Chinese environmental laws was read during the awarding ceremony.
Khan, cited for setting up a training center for helping persons with disabilities by giving them skills and employment opportunities, said he would also give his prize money to continue his work in the training center.
“This prestigious award will strengthen our commitment and boost the disability movement for empowerment of persons with disabilities,” he said in his acceptance speech.