Ramon Magsaysay Award

"The Ramon Magsaysay Award 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 Award to honor his memory and perpetuate his example of integrity in public service and pragmatic idealism within a democratic society. "

According to Arundhati Roy: "In 1957, the Rockefeller Foundation established the Ramon Magsaysay Prize for community leaders in Asia. It was named after Ramon Magsaysay, president of the Philippines, a crucial ally in the US campaign against Communism in Southeast Asia. In 2000, the Ford Foundation established the Ramon Magsaysay Emergent Leadership Award. The Magsaysay Award is considered a prestigious award among artists, activists and community workers in India. M.S. Subbulakshmi and Satyajit Ray won it, so did Jayaprakash Narayan and one of India’s finest journalists, P. Sainath. But they did more for the Magsaysay award than it did for them. In general, it has become a gentle arbiter of what kind of activism is “acceptable” and what is not." The first award was give to Vinoba Bhave in 1958.

Board of Trustees (2011)
Accessed June 2012:


 * Maria Cynthia Rose B. Bautista
 * Chair - Emily A. Abrera
 * Vice-Chair - Carmencita T. Abella
 * RMAF President - Federico M. Macaranas
 * Treasurer - Robina Gokongwei-pe
 * Trustee - Marianne G. Quebral
 * Trustee - Juan B. Santos
 * Trustee - Moncompu Sambasivan Swaminathan
 * Trustee - Mechai Viravaidya

Contact
Web: http://www.rmaf.org.ph

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