SUMMARY
This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
MANILA, Philippines – The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation on Monday, June 8, announced the cancellation of the 2020 Ramon Magsaysay Awards presentation due to the coronavirus pandemic that has plagued the world.
“With the COVID-19 pandemic practically immobilizing the world, the Foundation had no choice but to cancel this year’s awards presentation,” the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation’s board of trustees said in a statement Monday.
Established in 1957 and considered the Asian equivalent of the Nobel Prize, the annual Ramon Magsaysay Award had only been disrupted twice before: during the 1970 financial crisis and the 1990 Luzon earthquake.
“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 the light,” the statement read.
“Today, tradition has to give way to inconvenient reality. But we will get together again and it will be a joyful reunion.”
The Ramon Magsaysay Award, presented every August 31 – the birth anniversary of the late Philippine president Magsaysay – honors women, men, and organizations “whose selfless service has offered their societies, Asia, and the world successful solutions to some of the most intractable problems of human development.”
On Monday, the foundation also commended Ramon Magsaysay Awardees “from all corners of Asia [who] have risen to the occasion, lending critical support to frontliners and marginalized victims of the pandemic.”
As of Monday, over 7 million coronavirus cases have been officially recorded around the world, including 402,867 deaths.
In the Philippines, the number of confirmed cases has reached 22,474, with 1,011 deaths and 4,637 recoveries. – with a report from Agence France-Presse/Rappler.com
Add a comment
How does this make you feel?
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.