Howard Dee among 2018 Ramon Magsaysay awardees

Peace negotiator and former Philippine Ambassador Howard Dee is among the 2018 Ramon Magsaysay awardees, its official award-giving body announced on Thursday.

The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) announced that Dee is among the six awardees in the 60th year of the awards.

Dee is recognized for “his quietly heroic half-century of service to the Filipino people, his abiding dedication to the pursuit of social justice and peace in achieving dignity and progress for the poor,” a statement from the RMAF read.

Dee was a former envoy to Holy See and Malta from 1986 to 1990. He also chaired the government’s panel on peace talks with communist rebels during former President Fidel Ramos’ term.

He also served as the presidential adviser on indigenous people’s affairs during the Arroyo administration and was a member of the Bangsamoro Basic Law Peace Council during the Aquino leadership.

Dee likewise chaired a couple of foundations including the Assisi Development Foundation (ADF) with priest Francisco Araneta, which seeks “peace through development with justice.”

The ADF was reported to have executed over 4,000 projects that helped 10.5 million Filipinos since its establishment.

The Ramon Magsaysay Awards, established in 1957, aims to “celebrate the memory and leadership example of the third Philippine president after whom the award is named.”

It is given to select people from Asia who are “heroes of hope” and “moves their societies forward through their unequivocal pursuit of the larger good,” according to its statement.

This year, the other awardees include Youk Chhang from Cambodia, Maria de Lourdes Martins Cruz from East Timor, Bharat Vatwani, from India, Sonam Wangchuk, from India, Vo Thi Hoang Yen, from Vietnam.

The award will be formally conferred in a ceremony on August 31 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.   /vvp