Ramon Magsaysay Awards Presentation canceled due to COVID-19
MANILA, Philippines – This year’s Ramon Magsaysay Award Presentation has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ramon Magsaysay Awards Foundation said on Monday.
According to a statement from the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, they were left with no recourse but to cancel the Awards Night due to the dangers that the latest coronavirus strain brings.
It is only the third time that the Awards Night, named after the country’s seventh president, was interrupted — past instances were in light of the 1970 financial crisis and the 1990 Luzon earthquake.
“It took an invisible scourge to force another interruption. With the COVID-19 pandemic practically immobilizing the world, the Foundation had no choice but to cancel this year’s Awards Presentation,” the statement read.
“It was a tough decision to make. We shall all miss the solemnity of the Awards Night. Hungry for the stories that inspire and sustain hope. Feeling humbled in the presence of light,” they added.
Article continues after this advertisementThe awards, which started last 1958, were in recognition of Asian individuals who have excelled in their respective fields. It was in honor of Magsaysay, the much-loved leader who died due to a helicopter crash even before finishing his term.
Article continues after this advertisement“For the past 60 years, the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation has been honoring remarkable individuals and institutions from all over Asia. The vibrant community of Laureates share a common trait: selflessness in the pursuit of better lives for the many who are left behind socially and economically,” the Foundation said.
“Today, tradition has to give way to inconvenient reality. But we will get together again and it will be a joyful reunion,” they added.
As of now, the Philippines has one of the highest COVID-19 cases in the Southeast Asian region, ranking behind Singapore and Indonesia with 22,474 coronavirus-infected patients of which 1,011 have died while 4,637 have recovered.
Worldwide, over 7.018 patients have been infected, with 402,877 dead and 3.140 recoveries.
READ: PH COVID-19 cases climb to 22,474; deaths now 1,011
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