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Environmental lawyer Antonio Oposa Jr. is the lone Filipino among six recipients of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay award this year.
Oposa was cited for ?his pathbreaking and passionate crusade to engage Filipinos in acts of enlightened citizenship that maximize the power of law to protect and nurture the environment for themselves, their children, and generations still to come.?
Established in 1957, the Ramon Magsaysay Award is Asia?s highest honor and is widely regarded as the region?s equivalent of the Nobel Prize.
In a statement, Oposa said the honor of the most recent award ?belongs to all Filipinos in the environmental movement, especially those in the front lines of the struggle: fishermen, farmers, NGO workers, lawyers, teachers, scientists, professionals, dedicated civil servants, media practitioners, and ordinary citizens who are all doing their share to protect and restore these basic elements of life.?
Oposa, president of the Law of Nature Foundation, earlier received the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) International Environmental Law award.
He was also included in the United Nations Environment Programme?s Global 500 Roll of Honour in 1997, as well one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of 1993.
The other five Ramon Magsaysay awardees are:
? Krisana Kraisintu, Thailand ? For placing pharmaceutical rigor at the service of patients, through her untiring and fearless dedication to producing much-needed generic drugs in Thailand and elsewhere in the developing world.
? Deep Joshi, India ? For his vision and leadership in bringing professionalism to the NGO movement in India, by effectively combining ?head? and ?heart? in the transformative development of rural communities.
? Yu Xiaogang, China ? For fusing the knowledge and tools of social science with a deep sense of social justice, in assisting dam-affected communities in China to shape the development projects that impact their natural environment and their lives.
? Ma Jun, China ? For harnessing the technology and power of information to address China?s water crisis, and mobilizing pragmatic, multisectoral, and collaborative efforts to ensure sustainable benefits for China?s environment and society.
? Ka Hsaw Wa, Burma ? For dauntlessly pursuing non violent yet effective channels of redress, exposure, and education for the defense of human rights, the environment, and democracy in Burma.
The awards will be given out on Aug. 31 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Each awardee will receive a certificate, a medallion bearing the likeness of the late President Ramon Magsaysay, and a cash prize.
