Pinoy teacher among this year's Magsaysay awardees
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Pinoy teacher among this year’s Magsaysay awardees July 31, 2014 8:49am 124 26 0 185 A Filipino teacher who braves hours of travel in order to provide basic education to children of the Matigsalog tribe in a remote village in Davao City was chosen as among this year's six awardees of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award, considered as Asia's Nobel Prize. The organizers said Randy Halasan, 31, was recognized for his "purposeful dedication in nurturing both his Matigsalog students and their community to transform their lives through quality education and sustainable livelihoods, in ways that respect their uniqueness and preserve their integrity as indigenous peoples in a modernizing Philippines." Also among this year's awardees are an influential Chinese journalist and a crusading environmental lawyer from China. The Ramon Magsaysay Award, named after a Filipino president who was killed in a plane crash, was established in 1957 to honor people or groups who change communities for the better and is often described as Asia's Nobel Prize. Among this year's six awardees is Hu Shuli, 61, founder and editor of Caijing, a business magazine famed for its groundbreaking investigative reporting that has had a profound impact on China. Its reports on illegal trading, "government cover-up of the true extent of the 2003 SARS epidemic," and corporate fraud led to the ousting of high public officials, prosecution of business leaders, and stock market reforms, the foundation said. "Hers is a journalism that works within the system but preserves the critical distance that is journalism's strength," the award citation said of Hu.
Another winner was Chinese lawyer Wang Canfa, 55, founder of the Center for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims, which has handled thousands of environmental complaints and beaten powerful industrialists in court. Its efforts have also included training lawyers and judges, as well as drafting environmental laws and regulations, the foundation said. "As long as we persist, the goal of establishing Chinese environmental rule of law will be achieved someday," the award quoted Wang as saying. Also honored were Indonesian anthropologist Saur Marlina Manurung, National Museum of Afghanistan director Omara Khan Masoudi and the Pakistani non-government group The Citizen's Foundation. Manurung, 42, was cited for "her ennobling passion to protect and improve the lives of Indonesia's forest people" through jungle schools put up by her organization. Masoudi, 66, was honored for saving some of the museum's most precious objects from the "bombings, looting, and wilful destruction by the Taliban" insurgents of what they considered Afghanistan's non-Muslim heritage. The Citizens Foundation, organized by Pakistani business leaders, was honored for putting up schools that gave equal opportunities to girls in a country where education for women is anathema to some religious extremists. This year's winners will be invited to Manila for an awards ceremony on August 31. — Agence France-Presse
Turning the tide: Teacher Randy Halasan transforms a tribal community July 31, 2014 10:19pm 2281 11 1 2341 When novice teacher Randy Halasan first arrived at Pegalongan Elementary School, located in one of the remotest villages in the mountainous hinterland of Davao Del Sur, the first thought that came to his mind was to seek a reassignment the first chance he could get. With no electricity, no cellphone signal, and only primitive amenities, the village was virtually cut off from the outside world, and Halasan thought he could never survive such a place. Seven years later, Halasan, 31, is now the head of the school he once thought of abandoning, happily living among the indigenous Matigsalug tribe as if he were one of them. River crossing In an interview with Sandra Aguinaldo for the GMA documentary program “I-Witness” aired in December 2013, Halasan recounted that there was a time when he almost drowned while crossing a raging river on the way to the school. It takes Halasan seven hours each week to reach Pegalongan Elementary School from his family's home in Davao City: two hours by bus, an hour by habal-habal over 10 kilometers of extremely rough roads, and four hours of trekking Mt. Bangkilan and crossing two rivers – the thigh-deep Sinod River and the chest-deep Davao River. Halasan stays in a makeshift house in Sitio Pegalongan during weekdays. When Halasan first arrived in Pegalongan in 2007, he was one of only two teachers in a two-room schoolhouse, teaching multi-grade classes between Grades 1 and 6. But with no teaching experience, he decided to take the job, thinking that he could asked for a reassignment after a couple of months. But as days went by, Halasan, who was used to living in the city, was moved by his students' strong
determination to learn, walking miles and crossing the rivers just to get to school, and often falling asleep in class due to fatigue and hunger. Living in Pegalongan, Halasan also witnessed how powerful outsiders would sometimes encroach on tribesmen's ancestral land. He became engulfed with a deep sense of duty to improve the lives of Matigsalug tribe. He has turned down offers for reassignment and some weekends did not go home to the city, opting instead to stay in Pegalongan to perform other works outside his duties at the school, such as teaching the tribesmen about farming. Magsaysay Awardee Randy Halasan (leftmost) leads GMA News TV's I-Witness team in crossing a river to reach the school. Photo courtesy of I-Witness Impact on the community Assuming the position of head teacher in 2010, Halasan proactively lobbied higher authorities for a bigger budget to expand the elementary school—and got it. What was once a two-room, two-teacher schoolhouse is now a permanent school with nine rooms, eight teachers, and 210 students. Through his representation, a cultural-minority high school has been established, with Halasan as teacher- in-charge. Now, Halasan’s youthful graduates are helping their elders protect the tribe's future and legal rights to ancestral domain.
Convinced that education is key to the Matigsalug’s survival in a changing world, Halasan has convinced parents to keep their children in school, discouraged the customary practices of early and arranged marriages, and promoted values of self-help and equality in the community. Recognizing that poverty is the community’s fundamental problem, Halasan has also envisioned a food- sufficient community by encouraging the tribesmen to practice a systematic way of farming. With seeds donated by his fellow teachers, Halasan encouraged the villagers to plant fruit-bearing trees and vegetables rather than just relying on root crops. “If I only focus on education, nothing will happen; the children will continue to go hungry,” he said. Working with the Pegalongan Farmers Association, Halasan accessed assistance from private organizations and government agencies. Prodded and encouraged by his leadership, Pegalongan farmers now have a collectively owned rice and corn mill, a seed bank, a cattle dispersal project, and horses for transporting their farm products. The village is also now participating in a government forest rehabilitation program that is expected to have a hundred forested hectares this year, with the Matigsalug tribesmen of Pegalongan as stewards and beneficiaries. According to oral tradition, the word Pegalongan means "the place from which the light shines." Because of one highly motivated civil servant such as Halasan, the village has become truly what its name suggests.
“No one got rich out of teaching; it’s your legacy that matters,” he said. — Elizabeth Marcelo/BM, GMA News On August 31, Halasan will formally be recognized at the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Awards together with four other individuals from other Asian countries and a foundation based in Pakistan. “The board of trustees recognizes his purposeful dedication in nurturing his Matigsalug students and their community to transform their lives through quality education and sustainable livelihoods, doing so in ways that respect their uniqueness and preserve their integrity as indigenous peoples in a modernizing Philippines,” the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation said of Halasan in a press statement. Established in 1957, the RMA is considered Asia’s highest honor. It is given every year to individuals or organizations in Asia who manifest selfless service and exemplary leadership. http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/372845/lifestyle/peopleandevents/turning-the-tide-teacher-randy-halasan-transforms-a- tribal-community
MANILA, Philippines–“No one got rich out of teaching; it’s your legacy that matters.” A Filipino educator serving an indigenous tribe living in one of the remotest villages in Davao City is among this year’s recipients of the Ramon Magsaysay Award, regarded as Asia’s version of the Nobel Prize. Randy Halasan, head teacher of Pegalongan Elementary School, will receive the award for his emergent leadership in “nurturing his Matigsalug [tribe] students and their community to transform their lives through quality education and sustainable livelihoods…” the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation said on Wednesday. Obtaining his postgraduate and undergraduate degrees in Educational Management and Elementary Education, respectively, from the University of Southeastern Philippines, Halasan was assigned in Pegalongan in 2007 and had turned down offers of reassignment since then, despite the seven hours it takes to reach the village from his family’s home in the city. Halasan, 32, has proactively lobbied for the expansion of the Pegalongan school, believing that education is key to the survival of the Matigsalug tribe in a changing world. Aside from his education advocacy, he has inspired fellow teachers and villagers to create a food-sufficient community by planting fruit trees and vegetables. Now, Pegalongan farmers have a collectively owned rice and corn mill, a seed bank, a cattle dispersal project and a horse for transporting their produce. Other awardees Besides Halasan, other Magsaysay individual awardees for this year come from China, Indonesia and Afghanistan and one organization from Pakistan.
The award is named after the late Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay who died in a plane crash in 1957. This year’s six awardees join the community of 301 other Magsaysay laureates to date. The recipients will receive their awards—a certificate, a medallion bearing the image of Magsaysay, and a $50,000 cash prize each—in Manila on Aug. 31. The award is given every year to individuals or organizations in Asia that deal with issues of human development in the region with courage and creativity and in doing so have made contributions that have transformed their respective societies, the RM Foundation said. “Like other Magsaysay laureates before them, [this year’s awardees] have shown moral courage and impassioned insistence on making the societies that they serve better, kinder and more equitable for everyone, especially for the marginalized,” foundation president Carmencita Abella said in a statement. Unassailable journalism Hu Shuli (China) is cited for “her unrelenting commitment to truthful, relevant and unassailable journalism, her fearless promotion of transparency and accountability in business and public governance and her leadership in blazing the way for more professional and independent-minded media practices in China.” Hu comes from a distinguished family of journalists and her significant works in investigative journalism include exposés of the government cover-up of the extent of the epidemic severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003 and sale-for-adoption of children confiscated by family planning officials in Hunan province. These reports led to the ousting of high public officials, prosecution of corporate leaders and reforms in China’s stock market, earning for the 61-year old Hu the name “the most dangerous woman in China” and her inclusion in the list of the “World’s 100 Most Powerful Women” of Forbes magazine this year. Environmental lawyer Wang Canfa (China) is being honored for “his discerning and forceful leadership—through scholarly work, disciplined advocacy, and pro bono public interest litigation—in ensuring that the enlightened and competent practice of environmental law in China effectively protects the rights and lives of victims of environmental abuse, especially the poor and powerless.” Wang, 55, founded the Center for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims (CLAPV), the first of its kind in China, to focus on providing free legal aid to pollution victims. It has handled more than 13,000 environmental complaints and the legal victories of the agency have led to the suspension of some environmentally destructive projects and secured compensations for victims. To bolster CLAPV’s litigation efforts, Wang established Beijing Huanzhu Law Firm in 2010, specializing in environmental law and providing pro bono services. ‘Orang Rimba’ Saur Marlina Manurung (Indonesia) will receive the award for “her ennobling passion to protect and improve the lives of Indonesia’s forest people, and her energizing leadership of volunteers in [her group] Sokola’s customized education program that is sensitive to the lifeways of indigenous communities.” Despite having been raised in a middle-class family in Jakarta and obtaining degrees in literature and anthropology, Manurung, 42, opted to devote her life to protecting and uplifting the lives of Indonesia’s “Orang Rimba,” or forest people. She founded Sokola, a group of volunteer teachers and trained Orang Rimba youth, which provides basic literacy for children and practical skills to cope with the changing forest environment. Heritage and unity Omara Khan Masoudi (Afghanistan) will receive the award for “his courage, labor and leadership in protecting Afghan cultural heritage, rebuilding an institution vital for Afghanistan’s future.” “A nation stays alive only when it can keep its history and culture alive,” Masoudi said. “I’m hopeful that our cuture can play a big role in creating space, in restoring national unity.”
Education for all Living in a country rich in ancient, cosmopolitan heritage of Hellenistic, Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic cultures, Masoudi, 66, launched a campaign for the restoration of historical monuments and the rebuilding of museums that were severely damaged by civil strife, bombings, looting and willful destruction by the Taliban. The Citizens Foundation (TCF) of Pakistan is getting the award for “the social vision and high-level professionalism of its founders and those who run its schools, in successfully pursuing their conviction that, with sustained civic responsiveness, quality education is made available to all.” A nonprofit organization, TCF was founded in 1995 by a group of six Pakistani business leaders “to remove barriers of class and privilege” through affordable, quality education for all. To ensure access by the poor, tuition and other fees are heavily subsidized with 100 percent of TCF students covered by full or partial scholarships. Books and uniforms are provided free. From its initial five schools and 800 students in 1996, TCF has grown to 1,000 schools spread over 100 towns and cities, with more than 145,000 students in attendance and guided by 7,700 teachers and principals. RELATED STORIES Afghan woman, Filipino doctor win RM Awards Filipino scientist, 5 others get Ramon Magsaysay Awards Read more: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/108623/filipino-educator-leads-ramon-magsaysay- awardees#ixzz390Fg4JoE Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook
MANILA, Philippines–“No one got rich out of teaching; it’s your legacy that matters.” A Filipino educator serving an indigenous tribe living in one of the remotest villages in Davao City is among this year’s recipients of the Ramon Magsaysay Award, regarded as Asia’s version of the Nobel Prize. Randy Halasan, head teacher of Pegalongan Elementary School, will receive the award for his emergent leadership in “nurturing his Matigsalug [tribe] students and their community to transform their lives through quality education and sustainable livelihoods…” the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation said on Wednesday. Obtaining his postgraduate and undergraduate degrees in Educational Management and Elementary Education, respectively, from the University of Southeastern Philippines, Halasan was assigned in Pegalongan in 2007 and had turned down offers of reassignment since then, despite the seven hours it takes to reach the village from his family’s home in the city. Halasan, 32, has proactively lobbied for the expansion of the Pegalongan school, believing that education is key to the survival of the Matigsalug tribe in a changing world. Aside from his education advocacy, he has inspired fellow teachers and villagers to create a food-sufficient community by planting fruit trees and vegetables. Now, Pegalongan farmers have a collectively owned rice and corn mill, a seed bank, a cattle dispersal project and a horse for transporting their produce. Other awardees Besides Halasan, other Magsaysay individual awardees for this year come from China, Indonesia and Afghanistan and one organization from Pakistan.
The award is named after the late Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay who died in a plane crash in 1957. This year’s six awardees join the community of 301 other Magsaysay laureates to date. The recipients will receive their awards—a certificate, a medallion bearing the image of Magsaysay, and a $50,000 cash prize each—in Manila on Aug. 31. The award is given every year to individuals or organizations in Asia that deal with issues of human development in the region with courage and creativity and in doing so have made contributions that have transformed their respective societies, the RM Foundation said. “Like other Magsaysay laureates before them, [this year’s awardees] have shown moral courage and impassioned insistence on making the societies that they serve better, kinder and more equitable for everyone, especially for the marginalized,” foundation president Carmencita Abella said in a statement. Unassailable journalism Hu Shuli (China) is cited for “her unrelenting commitment to truthful, relevant and unassailable journalism, her fearless promotion of transparency and accountability in business and public governance and her leadership in blazing the way for more professional and independent-minded media practices in China.” Hu comes from a distinguished family of journalists and her significant works in investigative journalism include exposés of the government cover-up of the extent of the epidemic severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003 and sale-for-adoption of children confiscated by family planning officials in Hunan province. These reports led to the ousting of high public officials, prosecution of corporate leaders and reforms in China’s stock market, earning for the 61-year old Hu the name “the most dangerous woman in China” and her inclusion in the list of the “World’s 100 Most Powerful Women” of Forbes magazine this year. Environmental lawyer Wang Canfa (China) is being honored for “his discerning and forceful leadership—through scholarly work, disciplined advocacy, and pro bono public interest litigation—in ensuring that the enlightened and competent practice of environmental law in China effectively protects the rights and lives of victims of environmental abuse, especially the poor and powerless.” Wang, 55, founded the Center for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims (CLAPV), the first of its kind in China, to focus on providing free legal aid to pollution victims. It has handled more than 13,000 environmental complaints and the legal victories of the agency have led to the suspension of some environmentally destructive projects and secured compensations for victims. To bolster CLAPV’s litigation efforts, Wang established Beijing Huanzhu Law Firm in 2010, specializing in environmental law and providing pro bono services. ‘Orang Rimba’ Saur Marlina Manurung (Indonesia) will receive the award for “her ennobling passion to protect and improve the lives of Indonesia’s forest people, and her energizing leadership of volunteers in [her group] Sokola’s customized education program that is sensitive to the lifeways of indigenous communities.” Despite having been raised in a middle-class family in Jakarta and obtaining degrees in literature and anthropology, Manurung, 42, opted to devote her life to protecting and uplifting the lives of Indonesia’s “Orang Rimba,” or forest people. She founded Sokola, a group of volunteer teachers and trained Orang Rimba youth, which provides basic literacy for children and practical skills to cope with the changing forest environment. Heritage and unity Omara Khan Masoudi (Afghanistan) will receive the award for “his courage, labor and leadership in protecting Afghan cultural heritage, rebuilding an institution vital for Afghanistan’s future.” “A nation stays alive only when it can keep its history and culture alive,” Masoudi said. “I’m hopeful that our cuture can play a big role in creating space, in restoring national unity.”
Education for all Living in a country rich in ancient, cosmopolitan heritage of Hellenistic, Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic cultures, Masoudi, 66, launched a campaign for the restoration of historical monuments and the rebuilding of museums that were severely damaged by civil strife, bombings, looting and willful destruction by the Taliban. The Citizens Foundation (TCF) of Pakistan is getting the award for “the social vision and high-level professionalism of its founders and those who run its schools, in successfully pursuing their conviction that, with sustained civic responsiveness, quality education is made available to all.” A nonprofit organization, TCF was founded in 1995 by a group of six Pakistani business leaders “to remove barriers of class and privilege” through affordable, quality education for all. To ensure access by the poor, tuition and other fees are heavily subsidized with 100 percent of TCF students covered by full or partial scholarships. Books and uniforms are provided free. From its initial five schools and 800 students in 1996, TCF has grown to 1,000 schools spread over 100 towns and cities, with more than 145,000 students in attendance and guided by 7,700 teachers and principals. RELATED STORIES Afghan woman, Filipino doctor win RM Awards Filipino scientist, 5 others get Ramon Magsaysay Awards Read more: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/108623/filipino-educator-leads-ramon-magsaysay- awardees#ixzz390Fg4JoE Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook
How fitting indeed that the lone Filipino selected for a Ramon Magsaysay Award this year is a public school teacher who fords rivers, hikes mountain trails and risks his safety by riding a public bus and a habal-habal (retrofitted commuter motorcycle) to reach his school in Pegalongan outside Davao City. Once there, he not only teaches youngsters belonging to the Matigsalog cultural community but also leads the entire community in creating a food self-sufficiency program as well as sustainable livelihoods. Randy Halasan, 31, a native of Davao City, has spent the last seven years teaching in Pegalongan. In those years, he not only helped educate Matigsalog children but also led the entire community to plan a food self-sufficiency drive, so that today Pegalongan farmers “have a collectively-owned rice and corn mill, a seed bank, a cattle dispersal project and a horse for transporting their produce.” Although a public school teacher’s main vocation is to educate young people, helping mold them into productive and responsible citizens, a teacher is likewise a natural community leader and organizer. Because Filipinos put a high value on education and learning, teachers are respected, their views listened to, their leadership sought. This must have been the case with Halasan, who, despite his youth when he first arrived in Pegalongan, was able to forge a community spirit that will now allow the people a more fruitful, sustainable way of life. *** The recognition, I believe, is not just for Halasan but for all the other men and women who dedicate their lives to the vocation of teaching. Often unheralded, frequently underpaid, usually overworked, teachers are hailed and honored in the “generic” sense, but at the individual level are overlooked for public approbation, especially when compared to politicians and celebrities. While those in other professions and callings at least have their higher compensation and esteem to cushion the mind-numbing and soul-crushing demands of workaday lives, teachers toil in anonymity and suffer from indignities. Much of this stems from their relatively low rung in society, with some young people—often their students—looking down on them as “losers” who, because they seemingly cannot compete in the job market, choose the safe way out. And yet, where would all of us be without our teachers? Where would we have ended up if we did not find mentors who recognized our uniqueness and our gifts, spent time to nurture our abilities, and shared whatever knowledge and wisdom they had accumulated? Halasan is still in his 30s, and who knows what he might yet achieve in years to come? But even if he were to quit teaching right now, he would already have served his students and his community well, and done his country a world of good. *** Other recipients of the Ramon Magsaysay Award, often called the Asian version of the Nobel Prize, include Chinese journalist Hu Shuli who hails from a family of journalists and was recognized for her investigative journalism. Also from China is environmental lawyer Wang Canfa, whose organization provides legal aid to victims of pollution as well as to the suspension of environmentally dangerous projects. I am sure that he has as well garnered a long list of enemies for this pioneering work. Sharing with Halasan a passion for helping her country’s indigenous communities, Saur Marlina Manurung from Indonesia was cited for her “passion to protect and improve the lives of Indonesia’s forest people.” She founded Sokola, a group of volunteer teachers and “Orang Rimba” or forest people youth to provide basic literacy lessons for children, and skills to cope with changes in the environment. While other awardees were cited for their work in preparing their people for present and future challenges, Omara Khan Masoudi of Afghanistan was cited for his efforts to protect and preserve the past, launching a campaign “for the
restoration of historical monuments and the rebuilding of museums that were severely damaged by civil strife, bombings, looting and willful destruction of the Taliban.” To his countryfolk and to other people as well, Masoudi offers this advice: “A nation stays alive only when it can keep its history and culture alive.” A nonprofit organization in Pakistan that runs schools for underprivileged youth, The Citizens Foundation (TCF) was cited for its social vision to provide “quality education” for all. Founded in 1995 by six Pakistani business leaders, TCF grew from an initial five schools and 800 students to the present-day roster of 1,000 schools with more than 145,00 students. Indeed, education is key to the development of a robust citizenry, whether the learners be youngsters from tribes learning survival skills, a nation rediscovering its glorious past, or even a government straddling the challenges of development and environmental preservation. *** “Rak of Aegis,” an original Filipino musical based on the songs of the local rock group Aegis, will have a fund-raising show on Aug. 10 to benefit survivors of Typhoon “Yolanda.” The 3 p.m. matinee show is meant to raise funds for a groundbreaking psychosocial program for Yolanda survivors in Tacloban. Dr. June Pagaduan-Lopez, a psychiatrist, cancer survivor and sister in TOWNS, is directing the program. That “Rak of Aegis,” which has received glowing reviews and is being restaged in response to growing public demand, should help raise funds for Yolanda survivors is only proper. Staged at the Peta theater in Quezon City, the musical tells the story of an urban poor community regularly besieged by floods and other disasters. And yet its residents bravely—and musically—soldier on. For inquiries, please get in touch with Pagaduan-Lopez and Peta. Read more: http://opinion.inquirer.net/77036/valuing-teachers#ixzz39ZM3j41o Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook
Teacher in indigenous Davao communities among RM awardees By Patricia Esteves (The Philippine Star) | Updated July 31, 2014 - 12:00am 0 32 googleplus0 0 MANILA, Philippines - A 31-year-old Filipino teacher in a remote and isolated mountain village in Davao is among this year’s recipients of the Ramon Magsaysay Awards. The Ramon Magsaysay Awards Foundation announced yesterday that it selected five individuals and one organization as this year’s awardees, including a Chinese journalist, an anthropologist from Indonesia, a museum director in Afghanistan, an environmental lawyer in China and a non-profit organization in Pakistan that provides quality education to the less privileged.
Randy Halasan has been teaching at the Pegalongan Elementary School in Davao for the past seven years under harsh conditions, serving the indigenous Matigsalug tribe living in one of the remotest villages in Davao City. To reach Pegalongan from his family’s home in the city takes Halasan seven hours of travel – two hours by bus, an hour over extremely rough roads by habal-habal motorcycle, four hours of walking and crossing the waters of two treacherous rivers, the foundation said. Halasan was chosen for his “dedication in nurturing his Matigsalug students and their community, helping them transform their lives through quality education and sustainable livelihoods.” Wang Canfa was selected for defending and protecting the rights of victims of environmental abuses in China. Also being honored is Omara Khan Masoudi for his courage, labor and leadership in protecting and preserving the Afghan cultural heritage. Another awardee, Saur Marlina Manurung, 42, has dedicated her life to protecting and uplifting the lives of Indonesia’s forest people. Sixty-one-year-old journalist Hu Shuli is being recognized for changing China’s media landscape through her truthful, relevant and unassailable journalism, her fearless promotion of transparency and accountability in business and governance. Pakistan’s The Citizens Foundation won for its advocacy in providing quality education for all – irrespective of religion, gender, or economic status. This year’s Magsaysay Award winners will each receive a certificate, a medal and a cash prize. They will be formally conferred the Magsaysay Award during formal presentation ceremonies on Aug. 31 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
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From the Philippines, the young Randy Halasan, 31, is being
recognized for teaching the children of the Matigsalug tribe in
one of the remotest mountain villages in Mindanao. MOST DISCUSSED STORIES
Halasan will receive the award for Emergent Leadership for “his The lure of
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Indonesian Saur Marlina Manurung, 42, who is more commonly 144 Comments
known as "Butet," was cited for "her ennobling passion to protect
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since adopted the system (http://www.sokola.org/) she developed
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Also among the awardees is Hu Shuli, 61, founder and former
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the ousting of high public officials, prosecution of business
leaders, and stock market reforms, the foundation said. The rise of INC:
'Stricter religions
"Hers is a journalism that works within the system but preserves grow stronger'
(/nation/64426-
the critical distance that is journalism's strength," the award
iglesia-ni-cristo-
citation said of Hu. She left Caijing in 2010 and founded Caixin
centennial-
Media. stricter-religion-
stronger)
Another winner was Chinese lawyer Wang Canfa, 55, founder of 40 Comments
the Center for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims
(http://www.clapv.org/english_lvshi/), which has handled
thousands of environmental complaints and beaten powerful
industrialists in court.
Its efforts have also included training lawyers and judges, as well
as drafting environmental laws and regulations, the foundation
3 of 7 8/1/2014 11:56 AMEducators win big in 2014 Magsaysay awards http://www.rappler.com/news/64872-educators-win-2014-magsaysay-...
said.
(/)
"As long as we persist, the goal of establishing Chinese
environmental rule of law will be achieved someday," the award
quoted Wang as saying.
Also honored was National Museum of Afghanistan director
Omara Khan Masoudi, 66, for saving some of the museum's
most precious objects from the "bombings, looting, and willful
destruction by the Taliban" insurgents of what they considered
Afghanistan's non-Muslim heritage.
“The Magsaysay awardees of 2014 are truly beacons of progress
in Asia," Ramon Magsaysay Awards Foundation President
Carmencita Abella said in the statement (http://www.rmaf.org.ph
/newrmaf/main/community/announcement/page/1/view/44)
announcing the awardees.
"All of them are creating bold solutions to deeply-rooted social
problems in their respective societies, problems which are most
damaging to the lives of those trapped in poverty, ignorance, and
unjust systems."
This year's winners will be invited to Manila for an awards
ceremony on August 31. – with reports from Agence France-
Presse/Rappler.com
Follow @rapplerdotcom 403K followers
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articles?filterMeta=Caijing) • Center for Legal Assistance to Pollution
Victims (/previous-
articles?filterMeta=Center+for+Legal+Assistance+to+Pollution+Victims) • Hu
Shuli (/previous-articles?filterMeta=Hu+Shuli) • Omara Khan Masoudi
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articles?filterMeta=Omara+Khan+Masoudi+Afghanistan) • Pakistan
(/previous-articles?filterMeta=Pakistan) • Randy Halasan (/previous-
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7 of 7 8/1/2014 11:56 AMHeadline Teacher in indigenous Davao communities among RM awardees
MediaTitle The Philippine Star
Date 31 Jul 2014 Color Full Color
Section Front Page Circulation 305,090
Page No 1,2 Readership 305,090
Language English ArticleSize 294 cm²
Journalist Patricia Esteves AdValue PHP 55,219
Frequency Daily PR Value PHP 165,657
Teacher in indigenous Davao
communities among RM awardees
A 31yearold Filipino teacher in a remote and Halasan was chosen for his "dedication in nurtur
isolated mountain village in Davao is among this ing his Matigsalug students and their community,
year's recipients of the Ramon Magsaysay Awards. helping them transform their lives through quality
The Ramon Magsaysay Awards Foundation education and sustainable livelihoods."
announced yesterday that it selected five individu Wang Canfa was selected for defending and protecting
als and one organization as this year's awardees, the rights of victims of environmental abuses in China.
including a Chinese journalist, an anthropologist Also being honored is Omara Khan Masoudi for
his courage, labor and leadership in protecting and
from Indonesia, a museum director in Afghanistan, preserving the Afghan cultural heritage.
an environmental lawyer in China and a nonprofit Another awardee, Saur Marlina Manurung, 42,
organization in Pakistan that provides quality educa
tion to the less privileged. has dedicated her life to protecting and uplifting the
Randy Halasan has been teaching at the Pegalon lives of Indonesia's forest people.
gan Elementary School in Davao for the past seven Sixtyoneyearold journalist Hu Shuli is being
years under harsh conditions, serving the indigenous recognized for changing China's media landscape
through her truthful, relevant and unassailable jour
Matigsalug tribe living in one of the remotest villages nalism, her fearless promotion of transparency and
in Davao City. accountability in business and governance.
To reach Pegalongan from his family's home in Pakistan's The Citizens Foundation won for its
the city takes Halasan seven hours of travel two advocacy in providing quality education for all ir
hours by bus, an hour over extremely rough roads respective of religion, gender, or economic status.
by habalhabal motorcycle, four hours of walking This year's Magsaysay Award winners will each
Turn to Page 2 receive a certificate, a medal and a cash prize. They
will be formally conferred the Magsaysay Award dur
Teacher From Page 1 ing formal presentation ceremonies on Aug. 31 at the
Cultural Center of the Philippines. Patricia Esteves
and crossing the waters of two treacherous rivers,
the foundation said.
Randy Halasan Hu Shuli Saur Marlina Manurung
Philippines China Indonesia
Omara Khan Masoudi Wang Canfa The Citizens Foundation
Afghanistan China PakistanValuing teachers | Inquirer Opinion http://opinion.inquirer.net/77036/valuing-teachers
EDITORIAL COLUMNISTS TALK OF THE TOWN VIEWPOINTS
At Large
Valuing teachers
By Rina Jimenez-David | Philippine Daily Inquirer 1:27 am | Friday, August 1st,
2014
6 0 1 8 0
How fitting indeed that the lone Filipino selected for a Ramon Magsaysay Award this year is a public school teacher who fords rivers,
hikes mountain trails and risks his safety by riding a public bus and a habal-habal (retrofitted commuter motorcycle) to reach his school
in Pegalongan outside Davao City. Once there, he not only teaches youngsters belonging to the Matigsalog cultural community but also
leads the entire community in creating a food self-sufficiency program as well as sustainable livelihoods.
Randy Halasan, 31, a native of Davao City, has spent the last seven years teaching in Pegalongan. In those years, he not only helped
educate Matigsalog children but also led the entire community to plan a food self-sufficiency drive, so that today Pegalongan farmers
“have a collectively-owned rice and corn mill, a seed bank, a cattle dispersal project and a horse for transporting their produce.”
Although a public school teacher’s main vocation is to educate young people, helping mold them into productive and responsible
citizens, a teacher is likewise a natural community leader and organizer. Because Filipinos put a high value on education and learning,
teachers are respected, their views listened to, their leadership sought.
This must have been the case with Halasan, who, despite his youth when he first arrived in Pegalongan, was able to forge a community
spirit that will now allow the people a more fruitful, sustainable way of life.
***
The recognition, I believe, is not just for Halasan but for all the other men and women who dedicate their lives to the vocation of
teaching.
Often unheralded, frequently underpaid, usually overworked, teachers are hailed and honored in the “generic” sense, but at the
individual level are overlooked for public approbation, especially when compared to politicians and celebrities.
While those in other professions and callings at least have their higher compensation and esteem to cushion the mind-numbing and
soul-crushing demands of workaday lives, teachers toil in anonymity and suffer from indignities. Much of this stems from their relatively
low rung in society, with some young people—often their students—looking down on them as “losers” who, because they seemingly
cannot compete in the job market, choose the safe way out.
And yet, where would all of us be without our teachers? Where would we have ended up if we did not find mentors who recognized our
uniqueness and our gifts, spent time to nurture our abilities, and shared whatever knowledge and wisdom they had accumulated?
Halasan is still in his 30s, and who knows what he might yet achieve in years to come? But even if he were to quit teaching right now, he
would already have served his students and his community well, and done his country a world of good.
***
Other recipients of the Ramon Magsaysay Award, often called the Asian version of the Nobel Prize, include Chinese journalist Hu Shuli
who hails from a family of journalists and was recognized for her investigative journalism.
Also from China is environmental lawyer Wang Canfa, whose organization provides legal aid to victims of pollution as well as to the
suspension of environmentally dangerous projects. I am sure that he has as well garnered a long list of enemies for this pioneering work.
Sharing with Halasan a passion for helping her country’s indigenous communities, Saur Marlina Manurung from Indonesia was cited for
her “passion to protect and improve the lives of Indonesia’s forest people.” She founded Sokola, a group of volunteer teachers and
“Orang Rimba” or forest people youth to provide basic literacy lessons for children, and skills to cope with changes in the environment.
While other awardees were cited for their work in preparing their people for present and future challenges, Omara Khan Masoudi of
Afghanistan was cited for his efforts to protect and preserve the past, launching a campaign “for the restoration of historical monuments
and the rebuilding of museums that were severely damaged by civil strife, bombings, looting and willful destruction of the Taliban.”
To his countryfolk and to other people as well, Masoudi offers this advice: “A nation stays alive only when it can keep its history and
culture alive.”
A nonprofit organization in Pakistan that runs schools for underprivileged youth, The Citizens Foundation (TCF) was cited for its social
vision to provide “quality education” for all.
1 of 3 8/1/2014 11:48 AMValuing teachers | Inquirer Opinion http://opinion.inquirer.net/77036/valuing-teachers
Founded in 1995 by six Pakistani business leaders, TCF grew from an initial five schools and 800 students to the present-day roster of
1,000 schools with more than 145,00 students.
Indeed, education is key to the development of a robust citizenry, whether the learners be youngsters from tribes learning survival skills,
a nation rediscovering its glorious past, or even a government straddling the challenges of development and environmental preservation.
***
“Rak of Aegis,” an original Filipino musical based on the songs of the local rock group Aegis, will have a fund-raising show on Aug. 10
to benefit survivors of Typhoon “Yolanda.”
The 3 p.m. matinee show is meant to raise funds for a groundbreaking psychosocial program for Yolanda survivors in Tacloban.
Dr. June Pagaduan-Lopez, a psychiatrist, cancer survivor and sister in TOWNS, is directing the program.
That “Rak of Aegis,” which has received glowing reviews and is being restaged in response to growing public demand, should help raise
funds for Yolanda survivors is only proper. Staged at the Peta theater in Quezon City, the musical tells the story of an urban poor
community regularly besieged by floods and other disasters. And yet its residents bravely—and musically—soldier on.
For inquiries, please get in touch with Pagaduan-Lopez and Peta.
Follow Us
6 0 1 8
More from this Column:
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2 of 3 8/1/2014 11:48 AMValuing teachers | Inquirer Opinion http://opinion.inquirer.net/77036/valuing-teachers
How we sleep
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3 of 3 8/1/2014 11:48 AMHeadline Valuing teachers
MediaTitle Philippine Daily Inquirer
Date 01 Aug 2014 Color Black/white
Section Opinion Circulation 356,376
Page No A15 Readership 356,376
Language English ArticleSize 355 cm²
Journalist Rina Jimenez David AdValue PHP 39,777
Frequency Daily PR Value PHP 119,331
Valuing teachers
HOW FITTING indeed that the lone Filipino who, because they seemingly cannot compete in
selected for a Ramon Magsaysay Award this year the job market, choose the safe way out
is a public school teacher who fords rivers, hikes And yet, where would all of us be without
mountain trails and risks his safety by riding a our teachers? Where would we have ended up
public bus and a habalhabal (retrofitted if we did not find mentors who recognized our
commuter motorcycle) to reach his school in uniqueness and our gifts, spent time to nur
Pegalongan outside Davao City. ture our abilities, and shared whatever knowl
Once there, he not only teaches youngsters edge and wisdom they had accumulated?
belonging to the Matigsalog cultural community Halasan is still in his 30s, and who knows what
but also leads the entire community in creating a he might yet achieve in years to come? But even if
food selfsufficiency program as well as sustain he were to quit teaching right now, he would al
able livelihoods. ready have served his students and his communi
Randy Halasan, 31, a native of Davao City, has ty well, and done his country a world of good.
•k ~k it
spent the last seven years teaching in Pegalongan.
In those years, he not only helped educate OTHER recipients of the Ramon Magsaysay
Matigsalog children but also led the entire Award, often called the Asian version of the
community to plan a food selfsufficiency drive, Nobel Prize, include Chinese journalist Hu Shuli
so that today Pegalongan farmers "have a collec who hails from a family of journalists and was
tivelyowned rice and corn mill, a seed bank, a recognized for her investigative journalism.
cattle dispersal project and a horse for transport Also from China is environmental lawyer
ing their produce." Wang Canfa, whose organization provides legal
Although a public school teacher's main voca aid to victims of pollution as well as to the sus
tion is to educate young people, helping mold pension of environmentally dangerous projects. I
them into productive and responsible citizens, a am sure that he has as well garnered a long list of
teacher is likewise a natural community leader and enemies for this pioneering work.
organizer. Because Filipinos put a high value on Sharing with Halasan a passion for helping her
education and learning, teachers are respected, country's indigenous communities, Saur Marlina
their views listened to, their leadership sought. Manurung from Indonesia was cited for her "passion
This must have been the case with Halasan, to protect and improve the lives of Indonesia's forest
who, despite his youth when he first arrived in people." She founded Sokola, a group of volunteer
Pegalongan, was able to forge a community spirit teachers and "Orang Rimba" or forest people youth
that will now allow the people a more fruitful, to provide basic literacy lessons for children, and
sustainable way of life. skills to cope with changes in the environment.
While other awardees were cited for their work in
THE RECOGNITION, I believe, is not just for
Halasan but for all the other men and women
preparing their people for present and future chal
lenges, Omara Khan Masoudi of Afghanistan was cit
who dedicate their lives to the vocation of
ed for his efforts to protect and preserve the past,
teaching. launching a campaign "for the restoration of histori
Often unheralded, frequently underpaid, cal monuments and the rebuilding of museums that
usually overworked, teachers are hailed and were severely damaged by civil strife, bombings,
honored in the "generic" sense, but at the indi looting and willful destruction of the Taliban."
vidual level are overlooked for public approba To his countryfolk and to other people as well,
tion, especially when compared to politicians Masoudi offers this advice: "A nation stays alive only
and celebrities.
when it can keep its history and culture alive."
While those in other professions and callings at
A nonprofit organization in Pakistan that runs
least have their higher compensation and esteem schools for underprivileged youth, The Citizens
to cushion the mindnumbing and soulcrushing Foundation (TCF) was cited for its social vision to
demands of workaday lives, teachers toil in provide "quality education" for all."
anonymity and suffer from indignities. Much of Founded in 1995 by six Pakistani business
this stems from their relatively low rung in soci leaders, TCF grew from an initial five schools and
ety, with some young people—often their 800 students to the presentday roster of 1,000
students—looking down on them as 'losers" sclhools with more than 145,00 students.You can also read
