Ramon Magsaysay Awards 2012

The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation announced the six individuals who will receive what is widely regarded as Asia’s Nobel Prize.

The Ramon Magsaysay Award was established in 1957 to celebrate the memory and leadership of the late Philippine President and is awarded to outstanding Asian individuals or organizations who make a mark in various fields.

Awardees will receive a certificate, a medallion bearing the likeness of the late President Ramon Magsaysay and a cash prize of $50,000.

The awards will be formally conferred on August 31 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).

The 2012 Ramon Magsaysay Awardees are:

 Chen Shu-Chu, from Taiwan. She is being recognized for “the pure altruism of her personal giving, which reflects a deep, consistent, quiet compassion, and has transformed the lives of the numerous Taiwanese she has helped.”

Romulo Davide, from the Philippines. He is being recognized for “his steadfast passion in placing the power and discipline of science in the hands of farmers in the Philippines, who have consequently multiplied their yields, created productive farming communities, and rediscovered the dignity of their labor.”

Kulandei Francis, from India. He is being recognized for “his visionary zeal, his profound faith in community energies, and his sustained programs in pursuing the holistic economic empowerment of thousands of women and their families in rural India.”

Syeda Rizwana Hasan, from Bangladesh. She is being recognized for “her uncompromising courage and impassioned leadership in a campaign of judicial activism in Bangladesh that affirms the people’s right to a good environment as nothing less than their right to dignity and life.”

Yang Saing Koma, from Cambodia. He is being recognized for “his creative fusion of practical science and collective will that has inspired and enabled vast numbers of farmers in Cambodia to become more empowered and productive contributors to their country’s economic growth.”

Ambrosius Ruwindrijarto, from Indonesia. He is being recognized for “his sustained advocacy for community-based natural resource management in Indonesia, leading bold campaigns to stop illegal forest exploitation, as well as fresh social enterprise initiatives that engage the forest communities as their full partners.”