Moving Asia Forward with Uncommon Faith

Last August 31, I attended the presentation ceremonies of this year's Ramon Magsaysay Awards at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Honored were:

Former Senator Jovito Salonga (Philippines) for Government Service;
Rev. Kim Sun-tae (Korea) for Public Service;
Mahabir Pun (Nepal) for Community Leadership;
Tang Xiyang (China) for Peace and International Understanding;
Palagummi Sainath (India), Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts;
Chen Guangcheng (China) and Chung To (China) for Emergent Leadership.

It was a privilege to see and hear from these great individuals. Their life stories were utterly inspiring. The common denominator among the awardees is that, amidst adversities and hopelessness, they saw the light and brought hope and positive change to their respective countries.

Of course we all know what kind of leader former Senator Jovito Salonga is. His contributions (through his long public career in government service) to the betterment of our society is unquestionable. His name is unblemished. In this age where the almost all government officials' motives in running for office are dubious, it would really alter the depressing political sphere of our country if we will have more Jovito Salongas: a man of honesty, sincerity,integrity and substance. The Philippines is in dire need of more Salongas. I am privileged to be a volunteer of his NGO Bantay Katarungan.

Today, at eighty-seven, Senator Salonga urges young people to seek happiness in service. More important in life than wealth is meaning. We will find it, he says, if we live "by what we know to be true and good." Asked how would he like to be remembered, he says: “As a politician who played politics according to his Christian conviction.”

The other awardees' contributions to their socitites are also worthy of emulation. The most significant realization for me is that it only takes a single person to change the world. No matter how small your good deeds are, it can affect the life or lives of the people you are helping. It is really good to know that these kinds of people are real, are existing. They give us a ray of hope.