By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 3:27 am | Monday, September 2nd, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—At a time problems and challenges leave many disheartened, they are shining examples that give the world hope. The Ramon Magsaysay Award, Asia’s premier prize named after a Philippine president known for his tranformative leadership, on Sunday handed out this year’s citations to five awardees for selfless and inspirational service in their home countries. “Your lives are now shining far brightly even more than the stars of Hollywood. Greatness lies really not in one’s official position, but in how you lead, how you lay down your lives for others,” the Philippines’ Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno said in congratulating this year’s winners. The awardees were three individuals and two organizations cited for sparking change in pursuit of their advocacies, from universal health and combating violence to fighting corruption and human trafficking. The individual awardees were Filipino doctor Ernesto Domingo, who was cited for his “health for all” advocacy, Myanmar’s Lahpai Seng Raw for her grassroots-based leadership against conflict, and Afghan Habiba Sarabi, Afghanistan’s only female governor who built up her local government despite challenging circumstances. Conviction rate Indonesia’s Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi (KPK or the Corruption Eradication Commission) won the award for its decisive action against deeply entrenched corruption in the Indonesian government. Its staggering 100-percent conviction rate of corrupt government officials garnered loud applause from the Philippine audience, who clearly could only wish this could happen in their country. “I was afraid of saying something about your Read More …