Remembering Magsaysay

Sixty years ago last Friday, the president who is well-loved as a “Champion of the Masses” met his untimely death when his presidential C-47 plane crashed on Mt. Manunggal, Balamban, Cebu.

President Ramon Magsaysay had just spent a very busy day in Cebu--speaking in four universities, talking separately with Cebuano political leaders, greeting religious leaders, and conducting his usual “unscheduled” inspections. One report said he even managed to squeeze in some time to deliver a much needed package of medicines for a patient--a certain Cornelio Faigao.

Past midnight, despite the protestations of former president Sergio Osmeña Sr., Magsaysay insisted on flying home. He told Osmeña that he had another full schedule the following day. The presidential plane, Mt. Pinatubo, crashed minutes after takeoff.

Also on board the plane were Education Secretary Gregorio Hernandez, Presidential Assistant Tomas Cabili, Cebu Rep. Pedro Lopez, Philippine Air Force Chief Benito Ebuen, and Secretary Jess Paredes. Of the 26 persons on board, only one survived. Journalist Nestor Mata, fortuitously fell asleep without fastening his seat belt. On impact, Mata was thrown out of the burning plane. Mata survived with second degree burns in parts of his body.

What made Magsaysay so close to the Filipino masses? “The Guy” knew, almost instinctively,

‘The Guy’ knew, almost instinctively, what the ordinary Filipino wanted and he delivered it to them

what the ordinary Filipino wanted and he delivered it to them. This he learned as a young boy during his growing up years, as a guerilla leader, and as a bus company mechanic.

Although his family had means, he grew up and played with farm hands. During the war years, Captain Magsaysay lived with the ordinary folks as his guerilla group moved in and around Mt. Pinatubo. (Hence, the name of the ill-fated presidential plane).

He had an uncanny ability to fix engines. This landed him a job as a mechanic, later as a supervisor, in a bus company. As president, one of his first official acts was to open the gates of Malacañan to the ordinary people.

One of his legacy projects was a land for the landless program tailor-fit for former insurgents. This is credited for hastening the weakening of the Huk movement. His “artesian well for very barrio” brought him even closer to the rural folks.

Magsaysay never felt any sense of entitlement. He was then a sitting Defense secretary, when on his way to an official function, his car developed engine trouble. And no matter what his driver did, the engine just failed to re-start. Magsaysay gave the driver a few minutes before alighting from the car. He rolled up his sleeves, checked what was wrong with the engine, and in no time the car was running again.--