Fisherman Roberto ‘Ka Dodoy’ Ballon among 63rd Ramon Magsaysay awardees

Fisherman and community environmentalist Roberto “Ka Dodoy” Ballon was named among this year’s Ramon Magsaysay awardees.

During the 63rd Ramon Magsaysay Award virtual ceremony on Tuesday, the foundation recognized the 53-year old Ballon for his “inspiring determination in leading his fellow fisherfolk to revive a dying fishing industry by creating a sustainable marine environment for this generation and generations to come, and his shining example of how everyday acts of heroism can truly be extraordinary and transformative.”

Ballon, along with 30 other fishermen, started the Kapunungan sa Gamay ng Mangingisda sa Concepcion (KGMC) in 1986 to focus on mangrove reforestation.

Now the KGMC chairman, Ballon offered his gratitude for receiving such a prestigious award.

Thanking his family, agencies and different government institutions who helped his cause, Ballon said, “Inaalay namin sa kasamahang mangingisda lalo na sa maliliit na mangingisda sa buong Pilipinas.”

[We offer this award to our fellow fisherfolk, especially to the small fisherfolk in the entire Philippines.]

A native of Zamboanga Sibugay, Ka Dodoy also thanked the award-giving body for the recognition.

“Ako ay nagpapasalamat ulit sa bumubuo ng Ramon Magsaysay Award sa pagbigay ng napakalaking karangalan," he said.

[I thank again the community behind the Ramon Magsaysay Award for giving me this great honor.]

Aside from Ballon, four other changemakers in Asia were honored with this year’s Ramon Magsaysay Award:

• Poverty alleviation visionary Muhammad Amjad Saqib, “who founded one of the largest microfinance institutions in Pakistan, servicing millions of families”
• Bangladesh’s scientist Dr. Firdausi Qadri “who has been instrumental in discovering vaccines that have saved millions of lives”
• Humanitarian Steven Muncy who established Community and Family Services International in 1981 and “has been helping the displaced refugees of Southeast Asia rebuild their lives”
• and Indonesian production house WatchDoc, which “ingeniously combines documentary filmmaking and alternative platforms to highlight underreported issues in Indonesia.”

Due to the pandemic, the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) skipped giving awards last year.

According to RMAF President Susan Afan, there were only three other times RMAF did not name winners in its 63-year history, first was in 1970 during the global financial crisis and in 1990 during the great Luzon earthquake. — LA, GMA News