Peacemaker Dee named winner of the Magsaysay Award

Former Philippine envoy and chairman of the government peace panel, Howard Dee, was named one of six recipients of the Ramon Magsaysay Award, considered the Asian equivalent of the Nobel Prize

Dee, who served five presidents from 1986 to 2015, will receive the Ramon Magsaysay Prize Foundation's 60th Anniversary Award for "championing the human face of peace, justice and economic growth", said Wednesday the RMAF

The other winners are the survivor of the Youk Chhang genocide in Cambodia. nun become activist Maria de Lourdes Martins Cruz of East Timor, psychiatrist Bharat Vatwani of India, educator Sonam Wangchuk of India and defender of Vo Thi Hoang Yen inclusion of Vietnam

Defying Hope

a "provocative statement of hope" in Asia, which has been blurred by a populist wave and widespread discontent, as of other continents, said the President from the RMAF, Carmencita Abella.

"All refused to give up, despite the meager resources, discouraging adversity and strong opposition, and their approaches are deeply rooted in respect for human dignity," said Abella.

The RMAF stated: "No citizen has been directly involved in indigenous peoples' rights, social justice and peacebuilding in the Philippines.

Dee, 87, was ambassador to the Holy See and Malta under the chairmanship of Corazon Aquino and chief negotiator of the government in peace negotiations with Communist rebels from 1993 to 1998 under President Fidel V. Ramos. also advises former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on the affairs of indigenous peoples and appointed in 2015 by President Benigno Aquino III to the Peace Council for the fundamental right of Bangsamoro.

Deep Trust

"Deep trust (Dee) enjoys across sectoral and party lines," said the RMAF.

Graduate in Business Administration 1951 from the East University, Dee quickly climbed the body In 1970, he helped establish the Philippine Business for Social Progress, a consortium in which member firms gave 2% of their profits to social development.

] & # 39; Crisis of Conscience & # 39;

After the declaration of martial law in 1972, Dee had a "crisis of conscience" and gave up her professional career to form the Assisi Foundation for Development (ADF). after St. Francis, who gave up wealth to serve the poor.

The ADF assisted 10.5 million Filipinos, including those displaced by the armed conflict in Mindanao, indigenous peoples and Filipinos deported from Sabah

. he recognized Dee's "heroic and discreet half-century of service to the Filipino people, her constant dedication to the pursuit of social justice and peace in the realization of dignity and progress for the poor, one"

The Ramon Magsaysay Award has been awarded to more than 300 officials and community leaders since 1957, the year President Ramon Magsaysay died in a plane crash. 19659003] This year's winners will officially receive the award on August 31 at the Philippine Cultural Center in Pasay City

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