About the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation
The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) is an international wholly independent non-profit organization based in Manila, Philippines. RMAF manages the Ramon Magsaysay Award, pursuing the objective of “honoring greatness of spirit in selfless service to the people of Asia.”
Honoring greatness of spirit in selfless service to the people of Asia
The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation was created in 1957, the year the Philippines lost in a plane crash a President who was well-loved for his simplicity and humility, his passion for justice, particularly for the poor, and his advancement of human dignity. Among the many friends and admirers of the late President around the world were the Rockefeller brothers. With the concurrence of the Philippine government, the trustees of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF) established the Ramon Magsaysay Award to honor President Magsaysay’s memory and perpetuate his example of integrity in public service and pragmatic idealism within a democratic society.
Supported with a generous endowment from the RBF, the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation was organized in Manila in May 1957, with seven prominent Filipinos as founding members of the foundation’s board of trustees. The Foundation has since implemented the Ramon Magsaysay Award program, pursuing the objective of honoring greatness of spirit in selfless service to the people of Asia. The first Ramon Magsaysay Awards were given on August 31, 1958 to five outstanding individuals working in India, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan, and SriLanka, and a Philippine-based organization.
Our Vision and Mission
Our Vision
The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) recognizes persons and organizations in Asia that exemplify transformative leadership and greatness of spirit.
But beyond the Award, RMAF seeks to amplify and further enhance the Magsaysay Laureates’ work and legacy so their ideas and solutions to Asia’s pressing problems extend beyond their borders; inspiring emergent leaders to do more of what is good and what is right, to make Asia a better and kinder place for all.
Our Mission
To promote and celebrate greatness of spirit
We search for ordinary men, women and organizations that do extraordinary work in Asia.
We support the work of the Ramon Magsaysay Laureates, connecting them to global resources, including next generation leaders.
We seek to inspire. We forge dialogue. We ignite action.
Milestones of The Foundation
Ramon Magsaysay Award
Board of Trustees
2024 Board of Trustees
Edgar O. Chua
Chairperson
Suzanne E. Siskel
Vice Chairperson
Susanna B. Afan
President
Gizela M. Gonzalez-Montinola
Treasurer
Emily A. Abrera
Trustee
Delia D. Albert
Trustee
Maria Cynthia Rose B. Bautista
Trustee
Edmundo Adolfo D. Fernandez
Trustee
James Kondo
Trustee
Josephine Lok
Trustee
Guillermo M. Luz
Trustee
Conchita Carpio Morales
Trustee
Kotchakorn Voraakhom
Trustee
Cecilia L. Lazaro
Chairperson
Suzanne E. Siskel
Vice Chairperson
Susanna B. Afan
President
Gizela M. Gonzalez-Montinola
Treasurer
Emily A. Abrera
Trustee
Delia D. Albert
Trustee
Ernesto D. Garilao
Trustee
Cielito F. Habito
Trustee
James Kondo
Trustee
Josephine Lok
Trustee
Guillermo M. Luz
Trustee
Ramon R. del Rosario Jr.
Trustee
Kotchakorn Voraakhom
Trustee
Aurelio R. Montinola III
Chairman (2023)
Dato Paduka Timothy Ong Teck Mong
Vice Chairperson
Randolf S. David
Trustee (2023)
Cecilia L. Lazaro
Trustee
Suzanne E. Siskel
Trustee
Toshinao Urabe
Trustee
Susanna B. Afan
Trustee
Emily A. Abrera
Trustee
Ernesto D. Garilao
Trustee
Cielito F. Habito
Trustee
Jose L. Cuisia Jr.
Trustee
Ramon R. del Rosario Jr.
Trustee
Cecilia L. Lazaro
Chairperson (2024)
Aurelio R. Montinola III
Chairperson (2020-2023)
Randolf S. David
Chairperson (2003-2004)
Deogracias N. Vistan
Chairperson (1993-1994)
Vitaliano N. Nañagas II
Chairperson (2001)
Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala II
Chairperson (2002, 2008-2009)
Juan B. Santos
Chairperson (2004-2005, 2013-2014)
Maria Cynthia Rose B. Bautista
Chairperson (2011-2012)
Senen C. Bacani
Jose Ramon T. Villarin, SJ
Chairperson (2015)
Jose L. Cuisia Jr.
Chairperson (2019-2020)
Message from the President
“Since 1958, the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation has celebrated Greatness of Spirit and Transformational Leadership among dreamers like Vinoba Bhave, Fusaye Ichikawa, and Ka Dodoy Ballon. To date, over 300 dreamers have received the Ramon Magsaysay Award, Asia’s premier prize and highest honor.
In celebration of our 65th year in 2023, we at the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation have set ambitious dreams: To amplify the life-affirming messages and inspiring values of the Magsaysay laureates, to further promote their successful solutions across borders, and to make them true examples of the best of humanity which young people can emulate.
In doing so, we hope to see more people having better access to basic needs; more marginalized communities asserting their human rights; more citizens challenging disinformation; and more young people stepping up to be the leaders they were meant to be.”
Susanna B. Afan
President
Edgar O. Chua
Chairperson
Edgar Chua is a distinguished Filipino leader with extensive experience in business and governance. With over 38 years of experience in the chemicals industry, corporate strategy, and global operations, he held key leadership roles at Shell. As Shell Philippines Country Chairman for 13 years, he oversaw exploration, manufacturing, and marketing sectors.
He has been recognized with awards such as MAP’s Management Man of the Year (2013), Asia CEO Global Filipino Executive of the Year (2016), and the Golden Wheel Awards Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award (2015).
He serves as Independent Director for First Gen, Shell Philippines Corp, Metrobank, PHINMA Corp, and others, and advises Mitsubishi Motors Philippines and Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines.
Mr. Chua also served as the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation’s Treasurer in 2015 and Vice Chairperson in 2016.
Suzanne E. Siskel
Vice Chairperson
Suzanne Siskel is the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of The Asia Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to improving lives across Asia-Pacific. Previously, she held leadership roles at the Ford Foundation in both New York and Southeast Asia, including acting director of the Gender Rights and Equality unit, supporting women’s economic rights, LGBT rights, and HIV/AIDS. Her final role at Ford was as director of Social Justice Philanthropy.
Ms. Siskel played an integral role in establishing the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Emergent Leadership through a Ford Foundation grant. A trained social anthropologist, she has served as a consultant, teacher, and researcher in Indonesia, Brazil, and Mexico.
Susanna B. Afan
President
Susan Afan is the President of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation, a position she has held since 2021.
After 30 years of working in the U.S. with Fortune 500 Global Staffing Firm, Robert Half International, retiring as Southern California District President, Ms. Afan returned to the Philippines in 2014. She served as Managing Director of the ABS-CBN Foundation for five years and now focuses on the non-profit sector. She is a graduate of Ateneo de Manila University.
Gizela M. Gonzalez-Montinola
Treasurer
Gizela M. Gonzalez-Montinola is a lawyer, businesswoman, and partner at Romulo Law. She has served on the boards of various Philippine corporations, primarily in real estate and banking, and is active in non-profit organizations such as the Consuelo Madrigal Foundation and Caritas Manila.
Ms. Gonzalez-Montinola was a Regent of the University of the Philippines and a founding trustee of the Beacon School in Manila. She established the Madrigal Gonzalez Best First Book Award in partnership with the University of the Philippines Creative Writing Center, now in its twenty-third year. She authored Where the Children Are, a book highlighting the lives of Filipino children facing challenging circumstances.
Emily A. Abrera
Trustee
Widely regarded as a trailblazer in advertising, Emily Abrera served as Chairman, President & CEO of McCann-Erickson Philippines. After retirement, she became Chairman-Emeritus at McCann Worldgroup Philippines and non-executive Chairman of McCann Worldgroup in the Asia-Pacific region.
She has held leadership roles with various organizations, including Chairperson of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and member of the EDSA People Power Commission. She is a trustee of the Bonifacio Art Foundation, the Philippine Board on Books for Young People, and the Philippine Eagle Foundation.
Ms. Abrera served the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation as Chairperson in 2006 and 2010, Vice-Chair (2005, 2008-2009, 2011), and Interim President in 2020.
Delia D. Albert
Trustee
Delia Domingo Albert, a distinguished senior diplomat, served as the Philippine Ambassador to Australia and non-resident Ambassador to Vanuatu, Nauru, and Tuvalu from 1994 to 2002. She made history as the first female Secretary of Foreign Affairs in the Philippines, capping a 36-year diplomatic career.
Ambassador Albert was the first woman career diplomat to become a Foreign Minister in ASEAN and Asia. She held key roles, including Director-General of the ASEAN National Secretariat and Undersecretary for International Economic Relations. During her ambassadorship in Australia, she strengthened bilateral relations and promoted Filipino women’s interests.
Ambassador Albert is a Senior Adviser to SGV and CO/Ernst and Young Philippines.
Maria Cynthia Rose B. Bautista
Trustee
Maria Cynthia Rose B. Bautista is a member of the Advisory Council of EDCOM II and the Board of Trustees of the Philippine Institute of Development Studies (PIDS).
She is the former Vice-President for Academic Affairs of the University of the Philippines System and has held leadership roles in academic research and policy institutions.
Dr. Bautista served as Commissioner for CHED from 2012 to 2016 and chaired the Executive Board of the Philippine Social Science Council and the UNESCO National Commission’s Social Sciences and Humanities Committee. She has received several honors, including the National Research Council of the Philippines’ Achievement Award for Social Sciences and the TOWNS Award.
Dr. Bautista served the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation as Vice-Chair in 2010 and Chairperson in 2011 & 2012.
Edmundo Adolfo D. Fernandez
Trustee
Br. Edmundo Adolfo D. Fernandez FSC is an educator and practicing artist. He currently serves as President of La Salle Green Hills, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, and De La Salle Lipa. Bro. Dodo is also the President of the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges, and Universities (PAASCU) and Treasurer of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP).
A former Provincial of the De La Salle Brothers Lasallian East Asia District from 2011-2019, he is currently the Chair of the Commission on Education of the De La Salle Brothers worldwide. Br. Dodo has held solo exhibitions and participated in residencies in the U.S., Japan, and France. He is a member of several La Salle school boards.
James Kondo
Trustee
James Kondo is the Chairman of the International House of Japan, an independent foundation promoting international cooperation. He also serves as Global Trustee and Japan Co-Chair of Asia Society, Board Member of the US-Japan Foundation, and Trustee and Visiting Professor at Keio Medical School.
Previously, Mr. Kondo was Vice President of Growth Strategy at Twitter Inc. and Chairman of Twitter Japan. His recognitions include being named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, Yale World Fellow, Asia 21 Fellow by Asia Society, and Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy.
Josephine Lok
Trustee
Josephine Lok is the CEO of Mizuho Bank Singapore, overseeing a team of over 1,000 employees. With over two decades of senior management experience, she is a respected leader known for her expertise and proven leadership.
Previously, Ms. Lok was Singapore COO at UBS, where she led critical operational strategies. She also held leadership roles at Credit Suisse and is a pioneer in the data analytics field.
A champion for diversity and inclusion, Ms. Lok advocates for empowering women and equal opportunities. She is dedicated to mentoring young talents, fostering the next generation of leaders across the region.
Guillermo M. Luz
Trustee
Guillermo M. Luz is a consultant at Ayala Corporation and the Chief Resilience Officer of the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), focusing on disaster preparedness and recovery. He leads Liveable Cities Philippines, dedicated to improving urban planning.
Previously, Mr. Luz was the private sector co-chairman of the National Competitiveness Council and held various roles with organizations such as the Asian Institute of Management and the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation.
He co-convened Task Force T3, enhancing private sector-government collaboration in the national COVID-19 response. His past positions include Executive Director of Makati Business Club, Executive Vice President/COO of Ayala Foundation, and Secretary General of NAMFREL.
Conchita Carpio Morales
Trustee
Conchita Carpio Morales is a former Ombudsman of the Philippines serving from 2011–2018. She became a member of the Philippine Bar in 1969 and served as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals prior to her appointment as Ombudsman. She has been a tireless advocate for the rule of law, anti-corruption, and integrity in public service, earning numerous accolades, including the 2016 Ramon Magsaysay Award for restoring faith in the rule of law.
Omb. Morales holds honorary doctorates in Management and Public Administration. She continues to contribute to governance reforms and is recognized as a leading figure in promoting transparency, accountability, and justice in the Philippines.
Kotchakorn Voraakhom
Trustee
Kotchakorn Voraakhom is the CEO and Founder of Landprocess and Porous City Network and serves as Chairwoman of the Climate Change Working Group at the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA World). She is also a member of the Global Commission on Nature Positive City for the World Economic Forum and a design critic at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design.
A Thai landscape architect, her work focuses on creating green public spaces to combat climate change. Notable projects include Chulalongkorn Centenary Park, Thammasat Urban Rooftop Farm, and Chao Phraya Sky Park. Ms. Voraakhom has received the UN Global Climate Action Award and was named to TIME’s “100 Next 2019,” BBC’s “100 Women,” and Bloomberg’s “Green 30 for 2020.”