Peacemaker Howard Dee leads 2018 RM Awards
ESTABLISHED in 1957, the Ramon Magsaysay Award is Asia’s highest honor. Named after former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay, the award which is given to outstanding individuals and organizations celebrates the example of the values that ruled the life of the late beloved leader whose selfless service had transformed the life of Filipino society.
The RM awardees of 2018 are Asia’s heroes of hope. They have been instrumental in moving their societies forward through their committed pursuit of the common good. They have embraced the larger causes in their country and have refused to give up despite meager resources, daunting adversity, and strong opposition. All their struggles have been anchored on the respect for human dignity and an unwavering faith in the power of collective endeavor. The awardees of 2018 will join 324 other awardees of past years.
Leading five other Asian men and women is our own Howard Dee who is being recognized for “his quiet and heroic half-century of service to the Filipino people, his abiding dedication to the pursuit of solidarity, justice, and peace in working towards upholding the dignity and progress for the poor, and his being, by his deeds, a true servant of his faith and an exemplary citizen of his nation.”
Dee, former Philippine ambassador to the Vatican, has served the country by devoting seven years of his life helping the government unravel the Communist rebellion through negotiation and pursuit of a social reform agenda which attacked the root causes of armed conflict. He shared the lessons of peacemaking and development through his Human Security Framework for National Transformation. The framework begins with a “shift from State security to a Human Security paradigm which adopts a platform of peace and human freedoms, human rights, and human development to advance the cause of a life-giving, life-sustaining society.” Thus, he pursued the vision of a “non-killing society” and established the Assisi Development Foundation and Tabang Mindanao, organizations that had helped alleviate the plight of the poorest of the poor, especially the indigenous peoples. The other five awardees are: Youk Chang of Cambodia, for “his great, unstinting labor in preserving the memory of the Cambodian genocide, and his leadership and vision in transforming the memory of horror into a process of attaining and preserving justice in his nation and the world.”
Maria de Lourdes Martins Cruz of East Timor is recognized for her “pure, humanitarianism in uplifting Timor Leste’s poor, her valiant pursuit of social justice and peace, and her nurturing the development of autonomous, self-reliant, caring citizens, so vital in new, post-conflict, nations in the world.”
Bharat Vatwani of India is recognized for his “tremendous courage, and healing compassion in embracing India’s mentally afflicted, destitute, and his steadfast and magnanimous dedication to the work of restoring and affirming the human dignity of even the most ostracized in our midst.”
Vo Thi Hoang Yen of Vietnam is recognized for her “dauntless spirit and prodigious energy in rising above her condition; her creative and charismatic leadership in the sustained campaign to break down physical and mental barriers that have marginalized PWDs in Vietnam, and for being a shining, and inspirational model for the young in her country and elsewhere in the world.”
And finally, Sonam Wangchuk of India, for his “uniquely, systematic, collaborative and community-driven reform of learning systems in remote northern India, thus improving the life opportunities of Ladakhi youth, and his constructive engagement of all sectors in local society to harness science and culture creatively for economic progress, thus setting an example for minority peoples in the world.”
The Award Ceremony will be held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines on August 31, according to Carmencita Abella, Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation president.