Leadership and integrity
When lawmakers are likened to clowns and crocodiles and all it takes to land a Senate seat is a public denunciation of any member of the First Family, it is good to remember that not too long ago, Filipinos voted into high office deserving statesmen like Jovito Salonga. His body weakened by shrapnel from the bombing of Plaza Miranda on Aug. 21, 1971, Salonga went on to fight Ferdinand Marcos’ oppressive regime. After democracy was restored, he steered the Senate with wisdom, responsibility and integrity — traits that are now sorely missed in the chamber.Salonga will be honored today with the Ramon Magsaysay Award for government service. Sharing honors with him are six other people from all over Asia who have dedicated their lives to the service of others and to making the world a better place to live. Their stories reflect the life of the late President Ramon Magsaysay, who left behind a legacy of leadership and integrity, and who showed Filipinos the virtues of hard work, education and determination.
The honor roll:
• Kim Sun-tae, awardee for public service, for providing assistance and hope to his fellow blind Koreans and other visually impaired people through his ministry.
• Mahabir Pun of Nepal, for connecting his mountain village to the world through wireless computer technology, bringing progress to mountain communities. He is being honored for community leadership.
• Tang Xiyang, awardee for peace and international understanding, for contributing to China’s awareness of its environmental crisis.
• Chen Guangcheng and Chung To, both also from China, for emergent leadership, for baring ugly truths about their country at great risk to their personal safety, to compel Beijing to address the problems squarely.
• Palagummi Sainath of India, awardee for journalism, literature and creative communication arts. He is being honored, the Magsaysay foundation announced, for “his passionate commitment as a journalist to restore the rural poor to India’s national consciousness.”
Like Magsaysay, the life stories of all the awardees can lift people out of despair and cynicism. They are sources of inspiration as the nation marks the centenary of Ramon Magsaysay’s birth today.
