Ramon Magsaysay is an award named after the personality Ramon Magsaysay. The prize was established in 1957 by the members of the “Rockefeller Brothers Fund,” which was established in New York City. The award is given to all the “Asian individuals” who achieve excellence in their fields. Earlier the award was given in six categories. Till 2009, five of the categories were discontinued.
Who was Ramon Magsaysay?
Ramon Del Fierro Magsaysay was born into a family of Spanish and Chinese parents on August 31, 1907. He completed his primary schooling at Castillejos and his high schooling at Zambales Academy. After finishing college, he entered the famous University of the Philippines.
He contributed during World War II. Later, he was married to Luz Magsaysay. Ramon and Luz had three children. Teresita Magsaysay, Milagros Magsaysay, and Ramon Magsaysay, jr. The award is named after the seventh president of the Philippines, Ramon Del Fierro Magsaysay Sr.; he was in the military. He was in the position of military governor of Zambales. He led guerrilla warfare during the Pacific War.
Ramon Magsaysay travelled from Manila to Cebu City to deliver a speech at three educational institutions. It is estimated that when the plane returned to Manila in the early hours of March 17, the plane went missing. After hours, a newspaper reported that all the plane passengers were killed. While it was a half-truth, only 25 people were killed in the crash. Ramon Magsaysay was one of the 25 passengers who lost their lives during the plane crash.
What is the Ramon Magsaysay Award’s History?
Post the death of Ramon Magsaysay in 1957, a board with seven members was set up, with the name of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAW). It was a non-profit corporation. The board was responsible for implementing the award programme every year. Later, many important Asians were added to the board. The board’s main objective is to recognise, nominate, and honour the individual, irrespective of their gender, religion, caste, or nationality.
Ramon Magsaysay Award Categories
Earlier, the award was given only in five categories.
- Government Service
- Public Service
- Community leadership: Journalism
- Literature
- Creative arts and peace
Later, a new category, “Uncategorised,” was added, in which any individual from any field could be awarded.
Indians who got Ramon Magsaysay
According to a report by ‘Jagranjosh’, till 2019, approximately sixty Indians have won the award. The famous Indians among the sixty people are Vinoba Bhave, Mother Teresa, Varghese Curien, Jaiprakash Narayan, Satyajit Ray, M.S. Subbulakshmi, Kiran Bedi, Arvind Kejriwal, Sonam Wangchuk, and Ravish Kumar.
Winners of the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2022:
In 2022, only four individuals got the award. None of them was Indian. The award was received by Sotheara Chhim from Cambodia, Tadashi Hattori from Japan, Bernadette J. Madrid from the Philippines, and Gary Bencheghib from Indonesia.
Sotheara Chhim is a mental health advocate from Cambodia who contributed to Cambodia’s trauma syndrome. He got awarded for his calm, helping nature and healing mental health. Tadashi Hattori was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2022 for his work as an opthalmologist and humanitarian who did free eye surgery in Vietnam.
Gary Bencheghib is on a mission to remove all the marine plastic pollution in Indonesia, one river at a time. He is also known as the ‘Anti-plastic pollution warrior’ of Indonesia. Bernadette J. Madrid is a Filipino paediatrician who used to fight for children’s rights and protect them by creating a safe ecosystem.
