Filipino educator to receive Ramon Magsaysay award

Ramon Magsaysay Awardee, Randy Halasan (photo from RMAF.com)

MANILA, Philippines– Randy Halasan, devoted to teaching the indigenous tribes people in one of Davao’s furthest-flung areas, is among the recipients of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Awards; largely regarded as Asia’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize.

Halasan is head teacher of Pegalongan Elementary School, in which he has tirelessly exerted effort towards “nurturing his Matigsalug [tribe] students and their community to transform their lives through quality education and sustainable livelihoods…” the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation said in a statement made on Wednesday.

“No one got rich out of teaching; it’s your legacy that matters,” 32-year-old Halasan says of his calling to teach.

Halasan earned his postgraduate degree in Educational Management and undergraduate degree in Elementary Education from the University of Southeastern Philippines. In early 2007, he was assigned to teach in Pegalongan, which is a seven-hour drive from his home city. He has since rejected numerous offers of reassignment, and has fervently lobbied for the expansion of the Pegalongan school.

He firmly believes that education plays a vital role for the survival of the Matigsalug tribe, amidst an ever-changing world

He has likewise been an inspiration to fellow-teachers and village members, motivating them to plant fruit-bearing trees and vegetables in order to create a food- community.

As a result of his efforts, Pegalongan farmers now communally own a seed bank, a mill for rice and corn, and a horse which they use to transport their produce.

They have also started a cattle dispersal project.

Halasan will share this year’s roster with awardees from China, Indonesia and Afghanistan and one organization from Pakistan.