Seventh President of the Philippines

Era
Third President of the Third Republic
Constitution Amended 1935 Constitution
Predecessor Elpidio Quirino
Successor Carlos P. Garcia
December 30, 1953, Independence Grandstand,
Inauguration
Manila (aged 46)
Ramon Magsaysay
Capital Quezon City
December 30, 1953-March 17, 1957
Carlos P. Garcia (December 30, 1953-March 17,
Vice-President
1957)
Ricardo M. Paras (April 2, 1951-February 17,
Chief Justice
1961)
Eulogio Rodriguez (January 25, 1954-December
Senate President
30, 1957)
Jose B. Laurel Jr. (January 25, 1954-December
Speaker of the House
30, 1957)

Ramón del Fierro Magsaysay (August 31, 1907 – March 17, 1957) was the seventh President of
the Republic of the Philippines, serving from December 30, 1953 until his death in a 1957 aircraft disaster.

I. Politics (Administration)

Ramon Magsaysay was dubbed as “the guy” because many considered him as the president who really
connected and represented the common man being a president with a sympathetic heart to the masses. He
even opened Malacañang to the public.

II. Economics

Rehabilitation of establishments ruined because of World War is still ongoing but there is a lack on fund
to support this.

III. Programs (Reforms)

Started to resolve problems on land distribution through Land Reform Act of 1955 which gave emphasis
on the welfare of the poor farmers who desired to own agricultural land. He also establish the National
Resettlement and Rehabilitation Act (NARRA) to give land to some famers and the FACOMA (Farmers’
Cooperative and Marketing Association) to organize the farmers.

IV. National Issues

Corruption among cabinet members and the endless attempts to bribe the president were the most
common issues of that time where corruptions was very rampant among government officials and President
Magsaysay was among the very few who resisted and had zero tolerance against corruption.
V. Transnational Issues

The administration of President Magsaysay was active in the fight against the expansion of communism
in the Asian region. He made the Philippines a member of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO),
which was established in Manila on Sept. 8. Members of SEATO were alarmed at the possible victory of North
Vietnam over South Vietnam, which could spread communist ideology to other countries in the region.

Ramon Magsaysay, (born Aug. 31, 1907, Iba, Phil.—died March 17, 1957, near Cebu), president of the
Philippines (1953–57), best known for successfully defeating the communist-led Hukbalahap (Huk) movement.

The son of an artisan, Magsaysay was a schoolteacher in the provincial town of Iba on the island of
Luzon. Though most Philippine political leaders were of Spanish descent, Magsaysay was of Malay stock, like
most of the common people. Working his way through José Rizal College near Manila, he obtained a
commercial degree in 1933 and became general manager of a Manila transportation company. After serving as
a guerrilla leader on Luzon during World War II, he was appointed military governor of his home province,
Zambales, when the United States recaptured the Philippines. He served two terms (1946–50) as a Liberal
Party congressman for Zambales, his first experience in politics.

President Elpidio Quirino appointed Magsaysay secretary of defense to deal with the threat of the Huks,
whose leader, Luis Taruc, in February 1950 established a People’s Liberation Army and called for the
overthrow of the government. Magsaysay then carried out until 1953 one of the most successful antiguerrilla
campaigns in modern history. Realizing that the Huks could not survive without popular support, he strove to
win the trust of the peasants by offering land and tools to those who came over to the government side and by
insisting that army units treat the people with respect. Reforming the army, he dismissed corrupt and
incompetent officers and emphasized mobility and flexibility in combat operations against the guerrillas. By
1953 the Huks were no longer a serious threat, but Magsaysay’s radical measures had made many enemies
for him within the government, compelling him to resign on February 28, when he charged the Quirino
administration with corruption and incompetence.

Although Magsaysay was a Liberal, the Nacionalista Party successfully backed him for the presidency
against Quirino in the 1953 elections, winning the support of Carlos P. Romulo, who had organized a third
party. Magsaysay promised reform in every segment of Philippine life, but he was frustrated in his efforts by a
conservative congress that represented the interests of the wealthy. Despite initial support of Congress in July
1955, Magsaysay was unable to pass effective land-reform legislation; government indifference to the plight of
the peasants then undid most of his good work in gaining the support of the people against the Huks.
Nevertheless, he remained extremely popular and had a well-deserved reputation for incorruptibility.

In foreign policy, Magsaysay remained a close friend and supporter of the United States and a vocal
spokesman against communism during the Cold War. He made the Philippines a member of the Southeast
Asia Treaty Organization, which was established in Manila on Sept. 8, 1954. Before the expiration of his term
as president, Magsaysay was killed in an airplane crash; he was succeeded by the vice president, Carlos P.
Garcia.

Ramon Magsaysay was the seventh president of the Philippines. He is best known for defeating
the communist-led Hukbalahap (HUK) movement and restoring law and order during his stint as the
secretary of defense of the Philippines. In order to resist the HUK, he reformed the army by including
honest farmers in the army units and dismissing corrupt and inactive officers. Magsaysay led, what is
believed to be, the most successful antiguerrilla campaign in the modern history. As the president of the
Philippines, Ramon Magsaysay maintained close ties with the United States and negotiated the Laurel -
Langley Agreement, which was a trade agreement between the two countries to satisfy the diverse
Filipino economic interests. He also brought about significant land reforms, including vast irrigation
projects and enhancement of power plants. Trade and industry flourished during his time and the
Philippines flourished in sports and culture. He remained an active spokesperson against communism
during the Cold War. Magsaysay was well-known for his humility; he insisted on being called "Mr.
President" and not "His Excellency". He was posthumously called the "Idol of the Masses".

Childhood & Early Life

 Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay was born in Iba, Zambales, Philippine Islands, on August 31, 1907 to
Exequiel Magsaysay y de los Santos, a blacksmith, and Perfecta del Fierro y Quimson, a schoolteacher.
 He attended high school at Zambales Academy in San Narciso, Zambale and entered the University of
the Philippines in 1927, to study a pre-medical course.
 From 1928 to 1932, he studied at the Institute of Commerce at José Rizal College, where he received a
baccalaureate in commerce.
 Ramsaysay worked as an automobile mechanic in a bus company in Florida and shop superintendent to
support himself.

Career

 After the World War II broke out, he joined the motor pool of the 31st Infantry Division of the Philippines
Army.
 In 1942, he had to stay in hiding from the Japanese forces. During this time, he organized the Western
Luzon Guerrilla Forces, and was elected captain on April 5, 1942.
 He acted as a supply officer in Col. Merrill's famed guerrilla outfit and later as commander of a 10,000
strong force. Magsaysay was among those active in clearing the Zambales coast of the Japanese before
the landing of American forces in 1945.
 On April 22, 1946, Magsaysay was elected to the Philippine House of Representatives under the banner
of the Liberal Party.
 In 1948, he was chosen as chairman of the Committee on guerrilla affairs. He went to Washington to
ensure that the Philippine veterans are granted rights in the Rogers Veterans Bill.
 In the 1949 election, he was re-elected to a second term in the House of Representatives as the
Chairman of the House National Defense Committee.
 During the rise of communist guerrillas, Ramon Magsaysay offered President Elpidio Quirino a plan to
fight against them so the former appointed him the Secretary of National Defence on August 31, 1950.
 In June 1952, Magsaysay made a goodwill tour to Washington, D.C., New York, and Mexico.
 On February 28 1953, he resigned as defense secretary and decided to run for the seat of the president
under the Nacionalista Party.
 On November 10, 1953 the elections were held and Magsaysay defeated opponent Elpidio Quirino to
become the new president of the Philippines.
  During his term as the president, Ramon Magsaysay laid the foundation of the Manila Pact of 1954,
created to defeat communist-Marxist movements in South East Asia, South Asia and the Southwestern
Pacific.
 In early 1954, President Magsaysay appointed Benigno Aquino, Jr. as personal emissary to Luís Taruc,
leader of the Hukbalahap, a communist guerrilla group.
 From February to mid-September 1954, Magsaysay carried out the largest anti-Huk operation,
"Operation Thunder-Lightning" that led to the capture of Luis Taruc on 17 May.

Awards & Achievements

 During Magsaysay’s administration, Philippines became Asia’s second cleanest and well-governed
country. His tenure is often referred to as the Philippines' Golden Years.
 Magsaysay’s Presidential Complaints and Action Committee heard nearly 60,000 complaints in a year,
and settled more than 30,000 through direct action and a little more than 25,000 through government
agencies.
 Magsaysay established the National Resettlement and Rehabilitation Administration (NARRA) which
granted about sixty-five thousand acres to three thousand poor families for settlement purposes.
 He also established the Agricultural Credit and Cooperative Financing Administration (ACCFA) to make
available rural credits of almost ten million dollars.
 Magsaysay initiated the formation of Liberty Wells Association that managed to raise a considerable
sum for the construction of artesian wells for the development of agrarian sector.
 March 17, 1958 Ramon Magsaysay was awarded the Golden Heart Presidential Award posthumously.
 He received the Order of the White Elephant (April 1955) from the government of Thailand and the
Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Cambodia (January 1956) from the government of Cambodia.

Personal Life & Legacy

 He married Luz Magsaysay On June 16, 1933 and they had three children - Teresita Banzon-
Magsaysay, Milagros Banzon-Magsaysay, and Ramon Banzon-Magsaysay, Jr.
 On March 16, 1957, while coming back from Cebu City to Manila, Magsaysay died when the
presidential plane crashed on Mt. Manunggal in Cebu.
 The Ramon Magsaysay Award is an annual award, established in April 1957 by the trustees of the
Rockefeller Brothers Fund to continue Ramon Magsaysay's exemplary integrity in governance, brave
service to the nation, and realistic idealism in a democratic society.

Trivia

 Magsaysay was the first Filipino President who regularly wore the national costume, Barong Tagalog.

Government Service

In Congress, Magsaysay served as chairman of the House Committee on National Defense and
belonged to numerous other committees. In April 1948 President Manuel Roxas appointed Magsaysay to head
a veterans' mission to Washington which lobbied for the passage of the Rogers bill. In 1950 Magsaysay
attacked the Liberal party-dominated administration for corruption and called for reforms of the deplorable
social conditions which had produced the Hukbalahap rebellion (the rebels were peasants fighting for
democratic rights, equality, and justice). Time (Nov. 26, 1951) reported that "when politicians kept him from
buying Quonset huts he needed as schoolhouses for Zambales, he gathered some of his wartime guerillas,
raided a surplus dump, and made off with 140 huts. Later he paid for them—50 centavos (25 cents) apiece, the
price he figured the profiteer who owned them had paid in the first place." Prompted by his American advisers,
President Elpidio Quirino appointed Magsaysay secretary of national defense on Sept. 1, 1950.

From 1950 to 1953 Magsaysay revitalized the army with vast American aid; the army had been
demoralized, politics-ridden, and virtually defeated by the mass revolution under way. Within 83 days
Magsaysay retired three generals, discharged and demoted many erring and inefficient officers, and gave the
18,000 enlisted men better food, quarters, and pay. He also reorganized the vicious Philippine Constabulary
and created the Scout Ranger Battalions, whom he commanded to "kill Huks." Magsaysay sent civilian officers
to the barrios to propagandize in support of the government. He gathered $500,000 from the oligarchic ruling
class—the big landlords, compradors, and bureaucrat-capitalists—to pay as reward for any information leading
to the capture of the Huk leaders. This policy led to the arrest and conviction of 29 top leaders of the People's
Liberation Army and 6 members of the Politburo of the Communist party of the Philippines. Labor leaders,
professors, diplomats, and many other innocent citizens were arrested and deprived of their right to due
process of law under a repressive martial law.

As head of the Defense Department, Magsaysay encouraged Huk surrenders by offering medical
treatment, parole, and homesteads in the Mindanao jungle. The Economic Development Corps, an agency of
the government, then built farmhouses, schools, hospitals, and other facilities in Mindanao under Magsaysay's
initiative. He also tried to rehabilitate the Huks by offering vocational training and loans to aid in establishing
small businesses. From a later perspective, these measures (including anti-Communist indoctrination) had
practically no result; the reestablished Communist party (Marxist-Leninist) reoccupied and liberated large areas
of central Luzon and rapidly gained ground in other parts of the country.

In November 1951 Magsaysay sought to keep the elections clean by employing his 40,000-man army
and 5,500 reserves to police the land. The opposition Nacionalista party won a decisive victory against the
ruling Liberals. In the summer of 1952 Magsaysay was also responsible for the military solution to the
protesting Moslems, who had been victims of Christian chauvinism, land-grabbers, and government
malfeasance. Magsaysay also sent forces to fight under the United Nations command in Korea.

Accession to the Presidency

For his reputation of energy and honesty, Magsaysay was idolized by the electorate, which voted him to
succeed Quirino. Magsaysay had earlier resigned from the Liberal party and was subsequently chosen
candidate for president by the Nacionalista party. On Nov. 10, 1953, Magsaysay won by a landslide victory.

During Magsaysay's term the Huk leader Taruc surrendered. In 1954 Magsaysay's government
renegotiated the iniquitous Bell Trade Act of 1946 into the Laurel-Langley Agreement, which maintained the
economic subservience of the nation to United States monopolies. The peso currency, controlled by the United
States dollar, declined in value. Magsaysay also signed the first Agricultural Commodities Agreement with the
United States in 1957, thus perpetuating the colonial pattern of the nation's economy, and was also
responsible for the passage of the Anti-subversion Law, which curtailed the citizens' democratic rights of
assembly, free speech, and belief.

In line with his position as America's "staunch friend in Asia," Magsaysay was the chief sponsor in
forming the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO).