42 Facts About Ramon Magsaysay

1.

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

2.

Ramon Magsaysay 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.

3.

Ramon Magsaysay was elected president under the banner of the Nacionalista Party.

4.

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

5.

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

6.

Ramon Magsaysay first worked as a chauffeur to support himself as he studied engineering; and later, he transferred to the Institute of Commerce at Jose Rizal College from 1928 to 1932, where he received a baccalaureate in commerce.

7.

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

8.

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

9.

Ramon 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.

10.

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

11.

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

12.

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

13.

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

14.

Ramon Magsaysay visited New York, Washington, DC and Mexico City, where he spoke at the Annual Convention of Lions International.

15.

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

16.

Ramon Magsaysay 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 Osias at the Nacionalista national convention.

17.

Ramon Magsaysay 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.

18.

Ramon 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.

19.

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

20.

Ramon Magsaysay was the general manager of the Manila Railroad Company between October and December 1951.

21.

Ramon Magsaysay set the first steps in building what has been the discontinued Cagayan Valley Railroad Extension project.

22.

Ramon Magsaysay's running mate, Senator Jose Yulo lost to Senator Carlos P Garcia.

23.

Ramon Magsaysay was sworn into office wearing the Barong Tagalog, a first by a Philippine President.

24.

Ramon Magsaysay led the foundation of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization, known as the Manila Pact of 1954, that aimed to defeat communist-Marxist movements in Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Southwestern Pacific.

25.

One example of his integrity followed a demonstration flight aboard a new plane belonging to the Philippine Air Force : President Ramon Magsaysay asked what the operating costs per hour were for that type of aircraft, then wrote a personal check to the PAF, covering the cost of his flight.

26.

Ramon Magsaysay restored the people's trust in the military and in the government.

27.

Ushering a new era in Philippine government, President Ramon Magsaysay placed emphasis upon service to the people by bringing the government closer to the former.

28.

Ramon Magsaysay appointed Zotico "Tex" Paderanga Carrillo in 1953 as PCAC Chief for Mindanao and Sulu.

29.

Ramon Magsaysay became a close friend to the president because of his charisma to the common people of Mindanao.

30.

Ramon Magsaysay personally visited Mindanao several times because of this friendship, becoming the first President to visit Camiguin, where he was warmly received by thousands of people who waited for his arrival.

31.

Along this line of help to the rural areas, President Ramon Magsaysay initiated in all earnestness the artesian wells campaign.

32.

President Ramon Magsaysay enacted the following laws as part of his Agrarian Reform Program:.

33.

The administration of President Ramon Magsaysay was active in the fight against the expansion of communism in Asia.

34.

Ramon Magsaysay made the Philippines a member of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization, which was established in Manila on September 8,1954, during the "Manila Conference".

35.

The Ramon Magsaysay administration negotiated the Laurel-Langley Agreement which was a trade agreement between the Philippines and the United States which was signed in 1955 and expired in 1974.

36.

Although, at first, the Ramon Magsaysay Government seemed reluctant to send any delegation.

37.

Ramon Magsaysay was immediately joined by Romulo, who categorically stated that his delegation believed that "a puppet is a puppet", no matter whether under a Western Power or an Oriental state.

38.

On March 16,1957, Ramon Magsaysay left Manila for Cebu City where he spoke at three educational institutions.

39.

Ramon Magsaysay was posthumously referred to as the "Champion of the Masses" and "Defender of Democracy".

40.

Ramon Magsaysay's administration was considered as one of the cleanest and most corruption-free in modern Philippine history; his rule is often cited as the Philippines's "Golden Years".

41.

Ramon Magsaysay's presidency is seen as people-centered as government trust was high among the Filipino people, earning him the nickname "Champion of the masses" and his sympathetic approach to the Hukbalahap rebellion that the Huk rebels were not Communists; they were simple peasants who thought that rebellion was the only answer to their sufferings.

42.

Ramon Magsaysay gained nationwide support for his agrarian reforms on farmers and took action on government corruption that his administration inherited from prior administrations.