Phl agriculturist leads Magsaysay awardees

MANILA, Philippines - Six individuals from Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Taiwan will receive this year’s Ramon Magsaysay Award.

Among the awardees is the Philippines’ Romulo Davide, 78, a retired professor whose “steadfast passion in placing the power and discipline of science in the hands of the Filipino farmers have resulted to the multiplied yields, productive farming communities and rediscovery of dignity of their labor.”

Other awardees are Chen Shi-Chu of Taiwan, who has given away over $320,000 from her earnings as a vegetable vendor to various charities; social worker Kulandei Francis from India; environment lawyer Syeda Rizwana Hasan from Bangladesh; sustainable agriculture champion Yang Saing Koma of Cambodia; and forestry and fishery conservationist Ambrosius Ruwindrijarto of Indonesia.

Davide was named “Outstanding Agricultural Scientist” by the Department of Agriculture in 1994 and used his award money to launch in his native Colawin, Cebu the corn-based “Farmer-Scientists Training Program” (FSTP).

Through actual field experience and interaction with experts, FSTP aimed to turn farmers into “farmer-scientists” who would be able to experiment, discover effective techniques, manage the market and increase production.

Starting with just 74 farmers, FSTP has expanded to 35 towns in Cebu and six provinces.

With his doctorate and advanced training in the US and Ireland, Davide is hailed as the “Father of Plant Nematology.”

Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation president Carmencita Abella said this year’s six recipients have been involved in creating sustainable solutions to poverty and its accompanying disempowerment in different facets of the society.

“Working selflessly in unpretentious yet powerful ways, they are showing how commitment, competence and collaborative leadership can truly transform millions of individual lives and galvanize progressive community action,” Abella said.

Established in 1957, the Ramon Magsaysay Award is Asia’s highest honor and is widely regarded as the region’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize. It celebrates the memory and leadership example of the former Philippine president and is given every year to individuals or organizations in Asia who manifest the same sense of selfless service that ruled the life of the late president.

The awardees from other countries are expected to arrive on Aug. 12 for a series of lectures and to attend the presentation ceremonies on Aug. 31at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.