Ramon Magsaysay

Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay (August 31, 1907 – March 17, 1957) was a Filipino statesman who served as the seventh President of the Philippines, from December 30, 1953, until his death in an aircraft disaster on March 17, 1957.

An automobile mechanic by profession, Magsaysay was appointed military governor of Zambales after his outstanding service as a guerrilla leader during the Pacific War.

He then served two terms as Liberal Party congressman for Zambales's at-large district before being appointed Secretary of National Defense by President Elpidio Quirino.

He was elected president under the banner of the Nacionalista Party.

He was the youngest to be elected as president, and second youngest to be president (after Emilio Aguinaldo).

He was the first Philippine president born in the 20th century and the first to be born after the Spanish colonial era.

Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay, of mixed Filipino Spanish, and Chinese descent, was born in Iba, Zambales on August 31, 1907, to Exequiel de los Santos Magsaysay (April 18, 1874 in San Marcelino, Zambales – January 24, 1969 in Manila), a blacksmith, and Perfecta Quimson del Fierro (April 18, 1886 in Castillejos, Zambales – May 5, 1981 in Manila), a Chinese Mestizo schoolteacher, nurse.

He spent his grade school life somewhere in Castillejos and his high school life at Zambales Academy in San Narciso, Zambales.

After college, Magsaysay entered the University of the Philippines in 1927, where he enrolled in a Mechanical Engineering course.

He first worked as a chauffeur to support himself as he studied engineering; and later, he transferred to the Institute of Commerce at José Rizal College (now José Rizal University) from 1928 to 1932, where he received a baccalaureate in commerce.

He then worked as an automobile mechanic for a bus company and shop superintendent.

At the outbreak of World War II, he joined the motor pool of the 31st Infantry Division of the Philippine Army.

He was married to Luz Rosauro Banzon on June 16, 1933, and they had three children: Teresita (1934–1979), Milagros (b. 1936) and Ramon Jr. (b. 1938).

Other Relatives

Several of Magsaysay's relatives became prominent public figures in their own right:

When Bataan surrendered in 1942, Magsaysay escaped to the hills, narrowly evading Japanese arrest on at least four occasions.

There he organised the Western Luzon Guerrilla Forces, and was commissioned captain on April 5, 1942.

For three years, Magsaysay operated under Col. Frank Merrill's famed guerrilla outfit and saw action at Sawang, San Marcelino, Zambales, first as a supply officer codenamed Chow and later as commander of a 10,000-strong force.

Magsaysay was among those instrumental in clearing the Zambales coast of the Japanese prior to the landing of American forces together with the Philippine Commonwealth troops on January 29, 1945.

On April 22, 1946, Magsaysay, encouraged by his fellow ex-guerrillas, was elected under the Liberal Party to the Philippine House of Representatives.

In 1948, President Manuel Roxas chose Magsaysay to go to Washington, D.C. as Chairman of the Committee on Guerrilla Affairs, to help to secure passage of the Rogers Veterans Bill, giving benefits to Philippine veterans.

In the so-called "dirty election" of 1949, he was re-elected to a second term in the House of Representatives.

During both terms, he was Chairman of the House National Defense Committee.

In early August 1950, he offered President Elpidio Quirino a plan to fight the Communist guerrillas, using his own experiences in guerrilla warfare during World War II.

After some hesitation, Quirino realized that there was no alternative and appointed Magsaysay Secretary of National Defence in September 1950.

He intensified the campaign against the Hukbalahap guerrillas.

This success was due in part to the unconventional methods he took up from a former advertising expert and CIA agent, Colonel Edward Lansdale.

In the counterinsurgency the two utilized deployed soldiers distributing relief goods and other forms of aid to outlying, provincial communities.

Prior to Magsaysay's appointment as Defense Secretary, rural citizens perceived the Philippine Army with apathy and distrust.

However, Magsaysay's term enhanced the Army's image, earning them respect and admiration.

In June 1952, Magsaysay made a goodwill tour to the United States and Mexico.

He visited New York, Washington, D.C. (with a medical check-up at Walter Reed Hospital) and Mexico City, where he spoke at the Annual Convention of Lions International.

By 1953, President Quirino thought the threat of the Huks was under control and Secretary Magsaysay was becoming too weak.

Magsaysay met with interference and obstruction from the President and his advisers, in fears they might be unseated at the next presidential election.

Although Magsaysay had at that time no intention to run, he was urged from many sides and finally was convinced that the only way to continue his fight against communism, and for a government for the people, was to be elected president, ousting the corrupt administration that, in his opinion, had caused the rise of the communist guerrillas by bad administration.

He resigned his post as defense secretary on February 28, 1953, and became the presidential candidate of the Nacionalista Party, disputing the nomination with Senator Camilo Osías at the Nacionalista national convention.

When news reached Magsaysay that his political ally Moises Padilla was being tortured by men of provincial governor Rafael Lacson, he rushed to Negros Occidental, but was too late.

He was then informed that Padilla's body was drenched in blood, pierced by fourteen bullets, and was positioned on a police bench in the town plaza.

Magsaysay himself carried Padilla's corpse with his bare hands and delivered it to the morgue, and the next day, news clips showed pictures of him doing so.

Magsaysay even used this event during his presidential campaign in 1953.