As the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) continues to celebrate, honor, and recognize the transformative leadership across Asia, President Susanna B. Afan shares timely insights into how the Award has deepened people-to-people ties between Japan and the Philippines. In this exclusive Bridges Q&A, she reflects on the lasting impact of Japanese laureates, highlights recent collaborative initiatives, and reaffirms the Foundation’s unwavering mission to spotlight the “Greatness of Spirit” in a region striving for compassion, justice, and sustainability.
Bridges: How has the Ramon Magsaysay Award helped strengthen people-to-people ties between Japan and the Philippines over the years?
Afan: Since 1958, the Ramon Magsaysay Award has been a symbol of Greatness of Spirit—epitomizing the best of humanity. It has and continues to celebrate transformative leadership and selfless service within the Asian region. By highlighting human stories of compassion, innovation and perseverance on various fronts, the Ramon Magsaysay Award has not only fostered enduring people-to-people connections between Japan and the Philippines, but between Japan and the world at large.
I can think of three Japanese Magsaysay Laureates to illustrate this: TETSU NAKAMURA, a 2003 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee, was honored for his lifelong medical and community service to the peoples of Afghanistan; JAPAN OVERSEAS COOPERATION VOLUNTEERS, a 2016 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee, was honored for the humanitarian efforts of thousands of Japanese volunteers not only in Asia but around the world; and YOSHIAKI ISHIZAWA, a 2017 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee, was honored for restoring and preserving Cambodia’s Angkor Wat, one of the most important cultural heritage sites in the world.
Their inspiring and transformative works promote diplomacy and international understanding, but more importantly, they nurture authentic people-to-people connections that are built on empathy, shared values, and the belief that we are all part of a larger human story. This is why we at the Foundation continue our mission: to underscore that even in a world beset by complex challenges, there are leaders who are choosing integrity over indifference, service over self-interest, and action over apathy.
Japan has had several distinguished Ramon Magsaysay Awardees. How would you describe the role Japanese individuals and organizations have played in shaping Asia’s development through their work?
All 353 Ramon Magsaysay Laureates working in 23 countries and territories have made an indelible mark in the region. These extraordinary individuals and organizations have shaped institutions, empowered communities, and demonstrated compassion to individuals who need it most.
To date, the Foundation has honored 27 individuals and one organization with Japanese roots. Collectively, they embody a quiet but determined form of leadership that has powerfully influenced Asia’s development. Individually, they have brought healing, hope, and humanity through their respective fields of work. 1997 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee SADAKO OGATA, through her work as Head of UNCHR, redefined global humanitarian leadership by placing dignity and justice at the heart of refugee protection.
Our Ramon Magsaysay Laureates demonstrate how Asian values, when shared with humility and empathy, become a force for good far beyond their borders.
Susanna B. Afan, President of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation
Three-term Hiroshima Mayor and 2010 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee TADATOSHI AKIBA called for a world free from nuclear arms. With today’s shifting geopolitical landscape, his work reminds us that the pursuit of peace is not a one-time effort but a continuing responsibility.
We are happy to note that 1995 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee MORIHIKO HIRAMATSU’s innovative approach to economic independence, “Obe Village, One Product,” has been replicated in many parts of the world including many countries in Central and South America.
The influence of Japanese masters AKIRA KUROSAWA and HAYAO MIYAZAKI, who received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1965 and 2024 respectively, have inspired filmmakers around the world to use art not just as a medium of entertainment but an expression of our humanity.
Our Ramon Magsaysay Laureates demonstrate how Asian values, when shared with humility and empathy, become a force for good far beyond their borders. In today’s fragmented world, their legacy remains a call to act with both competence and conscience.
Can you share any recent or upcoming initiatives by the Foundation that demonstrate its continued commitment to honoring transformative leadership in the region?
The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation’s commitment to transform Asia and inspire the world remains unwavering. Through our program arm, Ramon Magsaysay Transformative Leadership Institute or RMTLI, we have been working on furthering the impact of our Magsaysay Laureates with compassion and dedication inspired by their examples.
Through our public lectures and forums on the works of our Magsaysay Laureates, we have
engaged over 500,000 individuals in 2024 alone. We are happy to share that our upcoming public event on 16 July, The Magic of Miyazaki, we are expected to engage with thousands of Studio Ghibli fans in the Philippines and the region.
We are likewise grateful that the Ramon Magsaysay Laureates themselves find areas of
collaboration and cross-border service to improve people’s lives, reflecting the very essence of the Award. A primary example of which was the medical missions spearheaded by 2022 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee TADASHI HATTORI, in partnership with 1997 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee from the Philippines Sister EVA MAAMO and the Tzu Chi Foundation, founded by 1991 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee Master CHENG-YEN SHIH. Their collaboration has provided free cataract surgeries, medical consultations, and post-operative care to indigent patients in Manila.
The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation’s commitment to transform Asia and inspire the world remains unwavering.
We at the Foundation continue to partner with organizations who share our mission. We successfully facilitated a Ph 6 million donation from the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines to Our Lady of Hope Hospital, founded by Sister EVA MAAMO to modernize their equipment in service of poor communities.
Japan Foundation Manila has been one of our steadfast partners. In 2021, we worked together on “Bravo, Asia!”, bringing AKIRA KUROSAWA’s masterpiece “Rashomon” to the Filipino audience. Similarly, to celebrate the Ramon Magsaysay Award of HAYAO MIYAZAKI, we mounted the very successful Studio Ghibli Film Festival that delighted thousands of filmgoers.
In strengthening our efforts of nurturing young Asian leaders, we continue closely with international powerhouses like the Nippon Foundation and Singapore’s Temasek Foundation. We welcome opportunities for collaboration with individuals and organizations who share in our mission of creating a better and kinder Asia. We look forward to working with your readers for this purpose.
What message would you like to share with the Japanese public and international community about the Ramon Magsaysay Award’s role in advancing a more just, compassionate, and sustainable Asia?
At its heart, the Ramon Magsaysay Award is not only a celebration of the best of humanity but also a testament that ordinary people, when they tap into their Greatness of Spirit, can be the catalyst for positive change. These changes happen every day—whether in quiet acts of service at home, bold innovations in our schools, workplaces or communities, or courageous leadership in the face of crisis.
We invite you to immerse yourself in the lives and legacies of the Ramon Magsaysay
Laureates—read about them by visiting our website, www.rmaward.asia or exploring our book series, “GREATNESS OF SPIRIT: Stories of Love, Courage and Service.”
We assure you that their stories will inspire, their journeys will interconnect you with others who believe in service and change, and their impact will ignite action in your own life and in the lives of those around you.
