MANILA, Philippines — A Japanese animator, a doctor from Vietnam, an environmentalist from Indonesia, an educator from Bhutan and a group of doctors from Thailand are this year’s recipients of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Awards, Asia’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize.
The recipients of the 2024 Ramon Magsaysay Awards were announced on Saturday, August 31, during the commemoration of the 117th birth anniversary of seventh Philippine President.
First given in 1958, the annual awards are named after Magsaysay who died in a 1957 plane crash.
“The award has celebrated those who challenge the status quo with integrity by courageously confronting systemic injustices, transform critical sectors through groundbreaking solutions that drive societal progress, and address pressing global issues with unwavering resilience, ” said Susanna Afan, president of the award foundation.
The 2024 Ramon Magsaysay Awardees
Miyazaki Hayao, a popular animator in Japan, was recognized for his lifelong commitment to the use of art, specifically animation, to illuminate the human condition. The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) specifically lauded his devotion to children as the “torchbearers of the imagination, to whom he has passed the light and spark of his own.”
Vietnamese doctor Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong was given recognition for her extensive research into the devastating and long-term effects of Agent Orange, which was used by American forces during the Vietnam War to defoliate Vietnamese jungles and to destroy crops for the Vietnamese Communists who fought against South Vietnam and the United States.
Vietnamese doctor Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong
The Rural Doctors Movement, a group of Thai physicians, is being awarded for its decades of struggle to secure adequate and affordable healthcare for their people, especially the rural poor, the foundation said.
Karma Phuntsho from Bhutan, a former Buddhist monk and an Oxford-educated scholar, was cited by the awards body for his academic works in the field of Buddhism and Bhutan’s rich history and cultural heritage that were being harnessed to address current and future problems in his country, including unemployment and access to high-quality education.
Karma Phuntsho
The winners will be presented with their awards and a cash prize on November 16 at the Metropolitan Theater in Manila.
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