Fr. Flaviano “Flavie” Antonio Villanueva of the Philippines, well known for his work among the survivors of the Duterte administration’s brutal war on drugs, is a recipient of the 2025 Ramon Magsaysay Awards, along with an anti-plastics activist in Maldives and a nonprofit organization in India.    

Recent global and local events notwithstanding, hope pervaded the announcement of the yearly awards on Aug. 31. The date coincided with the birth anniversary of Ramon Magsaysay, the seventh president of the Philippines, after whom the award is named, embodying the greatness of spirit attributed to him.

 One girl at a time

The Foundation to Educate Girls Globally (or Educate Girls) is the first organization in India to receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award. As its name suggests, it was established in 2007 to empower girls and young women through education. Its founder, Safeena Husain, was motivated to “break the cycle of illiteracy and poverty.”

Educate Girls started in Rajasthan, the state with the lowest female literacy rate in India. Having extended to rural and educationally disadvantaged areas, the nonprofit is steadily moving toward its goal of ensuring quality and access to education for 10 million learners by 2035. 

“We strive to create a brighter, more equitable future, one girl at a time,” Husain said.

Fighting plastics

Shaahina Ali is the first Maldivian to win the award for her work in mobilizing resources not only to address proper waste management in her beautiful island home, but also, in the wider scheme, to build a culture of responsibility and stewardship. 

The executive director of Parley Maldives, who is also a diver and photojournalist, Ali is deeply committed to protecting the marine ecosystem of the smallest country in Asia.

 “Whether you live in a land-locked country or an island, the ocean matters because it connects us all. You have to believe it’s worth fighting for,” she said.

Beyond basic needs

Villanueva has faced not only sedition charges but also death threats in the course of his work.  

He is a member of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), which founded the Arnold Janssen Kalinga Center in Manila in 2015 to provide care to the indigent (“kalinga” means “care” in Filipino). 

The center goes beyond caring for the corporal needs of the people it serves through Kalinga (or “Kain-Aral-LIgo-naNG-umAyos”)—meals, shelter, and hygiene facilities. It also addresses emotional healing  through its program called “Paghilom” (“healing” in Filipino). This integrated approach is envisioned to restore the dignity of persons so they can actively rebuild and reclaim their future.  

“The award is not about me, as the greatness of spirit dictates,” Villanueva said following the announcement of this year’s awardees. “It’s about the mission and the call to action. I pray and hope that all of us will be possessed by this greatness of spirit and will not keep this to ourselves, but that we continue to reach out so that everybody in this fractured world may be possessed by that greatness, and together, we can continue to create and recreate a better society for all and the next generation.”

Awarding generations of leaders

First conferred in 1958, the Ramon Magsaysay Award is acknowledged as Asia’s highest honor.

This year’s theme, “Illuminating Our Future,” reflects the legacy and mission of the late Philippine president and honors the Ramon Magsaysay laureates who inspire hope and action.

In closing the announcement ceremony, Susanna Afan, president of the Ramon Magsaysay Awards Foundation, said: “This is such a refreshing moment, to commend these people who are making great strides in their communities, making lives better. We look forward to bringing them here to the Philippines so they can share best practices.” 

On Nov. 4–6, the Ramon Magsaysay Transformative Leadership Institute will host the 2025 laureates’ lecture series, creating avenues for collaboration across sectors.

The formal awarding ceremony will be held on Nov. 7 at the historic Metropolitan Theater in Manila. (Details at rmaward.asia.)