Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 31) – Zamboanga Sibugay-based fisherman and community environmentalist Roberto Ballon is the sole Filipino recipient of the 2021 Ramon Magsaysay Award.
The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation announced this year’s five awardees in a virtual event on Tuesday.
Ballon, who grew up in a fishing family in the coastal village of Concepcion in Kabasalan town, was recognized for leading his fellow fisherfolk to revive the dying fishing industry by preserving the coastal environment in their area.
“Our families depend on the sea for our survival, not on politicians or other people, so it is only right that we make its protection our priority,” he said.
READ: We should recognize fisherfolk as food security frontliners
Ballon and other fishermen founded an organization named Kapunungan sa Gamay nga Mangingisda sa Concepcion (Association of Small Fishermen of Concepcion) in 1986 to call for a halt in rampant fishpond conversion and destruction of nearby mangrove forests.
The pleas of Ballon and the Concepcion fisherfolk were heard as they were granted tenurial rights to a land where they can plant mangrove trees. The reforestation program of the fishermen grew to a total of 500 hectares of mangrove forests as of 2015.
The mangrove reforestation efforts benefited the lives of Ballon and other fishermen as their fish catch soared from 1.5 kg per fishing trip of eight hours to over 7.0 kg in three-to-five hours of fishing. Through this, the fishermen were able to buy a boat engine and send their children to school.
The members of the organization are also deputized by the Kabasalan municipal government to patrol the waters against illegal fishing and mangrove logging.
The efforts of the Concepcion fisherfolk led by Ballon also catapulted Kabasalan as the province’s seafood capital and an ecotourism destination.
The other 2021 Ramon Magsaysay awardees are Pakistani social entrepreneur Muhammad Amjad Saqib, Bangladeshi scientist Firdausi Qadri, Steven Muncy who helps displaced refugees of Southeast Asia, and Indonesian production house Watchdoc.
The Ramon Magsaysay Award, dubbed as the Asia’s premier prize and highest honor, is given annually to outstanding organizations and individuals who demonstrated selfless service to communities in the continent.
The presentation of the awards will happen on November 28.
