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Gusi Peace Prize founder says he is ‘honorary ambassador' of Northern Marianas


In response to a statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the founder of an award-giving body based in the Philippines said on Monday that he used to be an "honorary ambassador" of Northern Marianas and not a diplomatic envoy. Barry Gusi, the organizer of the annual Gusi Peace Prize, made the statement after the DFA issued a letter saying their records show that Gusi was never appointed as Philippine ambassador. "Hindi talaga makikita sa DFA records kung naging ambassador ako kasi hindi naman sila ang nag-appoint sa akin," he said in an interview with GMA News Online. The DFA had issued the clarification after getting an inquiry from a corporate entity that Gusi had approached to become a sponsor for the Philippine visit of one of this year's Gusi Peace Prize awardees, US astronaut Edwin Eugene “Buzz" Aldrin Jr., one of the three Apollo 11 astronauts in the first manned lunar landing in 1969. As part of its verification process, the company wrote the DFA to inquire if Gusi, as he claimed, was indeed an appointed Philippine ambassador to Micronesia and Northern Marianas. The company ended up refusing to become a sponsor of the Gusi Peace Prize, which recognizes individuals that have made significant contributions to the attainment of peace and respect for human life. Gusi established the awards in 2002 and named it after his father, Capt. Gemeniano Gusi, whom he described as a guerrilla leader in the Philippines during World War II. “Ambassador of goodwill" Gusi maintained that he never claimed he was a diplomat. Rather, he said the governor and senate president of the Northern Marianas appointed him as an honorary ambassador from 1996 to 1999, while he was said to be championing the welfare of Filipinos living there. As an "ambassador" of the Pacific island nation, Gusi said he was given the task of "promoting the tourism of Northern Marianas to the world." Since then, Gusi said he has chosen to continue appending the title "Ambassador" to his name. "Ang sabi din kasi sa akin ng mga ibang tao at kaibigan ko, bakit mo tatanggalin ang ambassador? Once an ambassador, always an ambassador, kahit tapos na ang appointment ko," Gusi said. He added that former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo conferred the title "ambassador of goodwill" on him in March 2008 through Proclamation No. 1476, which declared every fourth Wednesday of November as “Gusi Peace Prize International Friendship Day." "This international event has contributed to the promotion of peace and goodwill, cultural exchange, economic and tourism industry in the country, as well as, in the international community," read the presidential proclamation. FVR, Leah Salonga among past awardees Among the prominent Filipino recipients of the Gusi award are former President Fidel Ramos, singers Lea Salonga and Jose Mari Chan, Senators Aquilino Pimentel Jr. and Rodolfo Biazon, the late national scientist Fe del Mundo, chess grandmaster Eugene Torre, and Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales. Meanwhile, notable foreign recipients include American lawmaker Bob Filner, Canadian musician Yank Barry, former Palau President Thomas Esang Remengesau Jr., Senator Ney Robinson Suassuna of Brazil, and Scottish surgeon Sir Andrew Douglas Maclagan. The awards will be held on November 24 at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City. Among this year's nominated recipients are Norman Inkster, former president of the International Criminal Police, from Canada; former Liberian President Amos Sawyer; Dr. Jagdish Gandhi of India, a descendant of Mohandas Gandhi; and Filipino architect Felino Palafox Jr. Gusi is known to withhold the award to recipients who do not attend the ceremony, among them boxing icon Manny Pacquiao. Gusi said critics have repeatedly "maligned" him and cast doubt on the legitimacy of the award-giving body every time the awards ceremony draws near. "I really hear those criticisms every time but I always choose not to fight the people who instigate them because I am a peace advocate," he said. Gusi said that as a businessman, he shells out some amount from his own pocket to fund an event. However, he admitted that a huge chunk of the funding comes from sponsorships and assistance from supporters and past Gusi winners. "Iyong mga kaibigan kong doktor, nag-volunteer magbigay ng free surgery para sa medical mission ng foundation ko. I also have past laureates donating wheelchairs," he said. Gusi added that the Gusi Peace Prize foundation is a charitable institution registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In an interview with RockEd Radio in 2009, Gusi compared the Gusi Peace Prize to the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize, whose recipients include US President Barack Obama, former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan, former South Africa president Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, and the late Mother Teresa. “You know the Gusi Peace Prize is a very fair Peace Prize although it is the Asian equivalent of the Nobel Peace Prize," said Gusi. The prestigious Ramon Magsaysay awards, which are handed out in August, are generally considered as the Asian counterpart of the Nobel prizes. - MRT/VS/YA, GMA News

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