Robredo urges Filipinos to break silence, indifference

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo on Monday warned the public against the “silence and indifference that have long oppressed many of our peoples,” saying these must be broken, especially during these days when human rights have been disregarded and democracy has been threatened.

Robredo was the keynote speaker for the fourth consecutive year of the Ramon Magsaysay Awards, now on its 61st year, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines on Monday night.

This year’s awardees of Asia’s Nobel Prize were: antibullying advocate Kim Jong-ki from South Korea; journalists Ko Swe Win from Myanmar and Ravish Kumar of India; human rights defender Angkhana Neelapaijit of Thailand; and musician Ryan Cayabyab of the Philippines.

These laureates, according to Robredo, have become “wellsprings of perpetual hope” because of their undaunted courage to challenge the norm.

“[They have] refused to accept the use of brute force, violence and aggression that have become the Asian norm,” said Robredo.