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The year 2023 marks the 65th anniversary of the Ramon Magsaysay Award, Asia’s premier prize and highest honor. To commemorate this milestone year, the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) is mounting several events and programs as part of an 18-month celebration.
In a statement, RMAF Chairman Aurelio R. Montinola III shares, “After 65 years of honoring Greatness of Spirit, we are very proud that the Ramon Magsaysay Award continues to be one of Asia’s most respected heritage brands. We see this milestone year as both a celebration and a challenge. As we continue our mission of celebrating the inspiring lives and transformative works of all our past and future Magsaysay Laureates, we are also looking at how we can influence the various discourses on issues affecting Asia and the world.”
With its renewed commitment to become Asia’s Center of Hope and Inspiration, RMAF has introduced new programs aimed to help amplify the messages of the Ramon Magsaysay Laureates and replicate their successful solutions beyond their respective borders.
“The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation is gearing up for this new phase of the Award. We are now focusing on three things: inspiring our global audience through the lives and work of our Magsaysay Laureates; interconnecting them with the next generation of leaders in Asia; and igniting action through creative collaborations with like-hearted partners. We believe that when we succeed in these three, we are well on our way of creating a better and kinder Asia,” shares Susanna B. Afan, RMAF President.
A number of events are slated to take place over the next 18 months. The second cycle of the NextGen Leadership Program was launched last January 2023. The Magsaysay Golf Invitational will be held on 17 April in Sta. Elena Golf Club in Laguna, Philippines. A year-long leadership workshop focusing on Asian women empowerment will likewise be launched in 2023. The global announcement of the 2023 Ramon Magsaysay Awardees will be livestreamed on 31 August 2023, and the much-awaited 65th Ramon Magsaysay Awards will be held on 11 November 2023 in Manila, Philippines.
The centerpiece of the 65th Anniversary celebrations is the limited edition 7-volume book series simply called “Greatness of Spirit,” featuring all of the Ramon Magsaysay Laureates from 1958 to 2023.
Afan shares, “We at the Foundation are very proud of this commemorative book series as it represents the very rich history of Asia through the lens of the Ramon Magsaysay Award and our Magsaysay Laureates. Our Laureates are the visionaries, pioneers, masters of the arts, innovators, humanitarians and peace-builders who have shaped the region over the past 65 years. We are collaborating with as many of our living Laureates in creating a memorable and truly inspiring collection. The Greatness of Spirit book series will be made available in November 2023 in time for the 65th Ramon Magsaysay Awards.”
The Ramon Magsaysay Award, named after a world-renowned and globally respected Asian leader, is established to honor Greatness of Spirit in Asia. The first Ramon Magsaysay Awards were conferred in 1958 to five individuals and one organization from China, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines. Since the Award’s inception, it has been bestowed to 344 men, women, and organizations in Asia including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Saint Teresa of Calcutta, Akira Kurosawa, Ela Ramesh Bhatt, Fazle Hasan Abed, Muhammad Yunus and Mechai Viravaidya who have become global icons since receiving the Ramon Magsaysay Award.
