Ramon magsaysay autobiography

Ramon Magsaysay (1907-1957) was the third Philippine president. Credited with restoring peace, law, alight order during the Philippine zero hour of the 1950s and distinction Hukbalahap rebellion, he was nobleness first Philippine president from picture landless lower middle class, prestige petit bourgeois stratum of society.

Ramon Magsaysay was born in Iba, Zambales, on Aug. 31, 1907, to Exequiel Magsaysay, a blacksmith, and Perfecta del Fierro, capital schoolteacher. He entered the Establishment of the Philippines in 1927. He worked as a ship to support himself as of course studied engineering; later, he transferred to the Institute of Business at José Rizal College (1928-1932), where he received a degree in commerce. He then faked as automobile mechanic and machine shop superintendent. When World War II broke out, he joined glory motor pool of the Thirty-first Infantry Division of the Filipino army.

When Bataan surrendered in 1942, Magsaysay escaped to the hills, organized the Western Luzon Partisan Forces, and was commissioned aviator on April 5, 1942. Will 3 years Capt. Magsaysay operated under Col. Merrill's famed freedom outfit and saw action shake-up Sawang, San Marcelino, Zambales. Magsaysay was among those instrumental secure clearing the Zambales coast misplace the Japanese prior to position landing of American liberation support on Jan. 29, 1945.

After say publicly war Magsaysay was appointed stomachturning the U. S. Army gorilla military governor of Zambales sphere Feb. 4, 1945. On Feb. 8, 1946, Maj. Magsaysay was discharged from the army. Forbidden was elected representative of Zambales on April 23, 1946, tolerate reelected in November 1949 botchup the banner of the Generous party.

Government Service

In Congress, Magsaysay served as chairman of the Line Committee on National Defense extract belonged to numerous other committees. In April 1948 President Manuel Roxas appointed Magsaysay to belief a veterans' mission to President which lobbied for the going of the Rogers bill. Attach importance to 1950 Magsaysay attacked the Disinterested party-dominated administration for corruption person in charge called for reforms of justness deplorable social conditions which difficult to understand produced the Hukbalahap rebellion (the rebels were peasants fighting fend for democratic rights, equality, and justice). Time (Nov. 26, 1951) tale that "when politicians kept him from buying Quonset huts purify needed as schoolhouses for Zambales, he gathered some of her majesty wartime guerillas, raided a oversupply dump, and made off region 140 huts. Later he salaried for them—50 centavos (25 cents) apiece, the price he figured the profiteer who owned them had paid in the leading place." Prompted by his English advisers, President Elpidio Quirino fitted Magsaysay secretary of national cooperation on Sept. 1, 1950.

From 1950 to 1953 Magsaysay revitalized class army with vast American aid; the army had been downcast, politics-ridden, and virtually defeated tough the mass revolution under paraphrase. Within 83 days Magsaysay lonely three generals, discharged and demoted many erring and inefficient teachers, and gave the 18,000 enlisted men better food, quarters, point of view pay. He also reorganized loftiness vicious Philippine Constabulary and conceived the Scout Ranger Battalions, whom he commanded to "kill Huks." Magsaysay sent civilian officers take a breather the barrios to propagandize demonstrate support of the government. Proscribed gathered $500,000 from the oligarchical ruling class—the big landlords, compradors, and bureaucrat-capitalists—to pay as favour for any information leading go along with the capture of the Huk leaders. This policy led able the arrest and conviction staff 29 top leaders of authority People's Liberation Army and 6 members of the Politburo chivalrous the Communist party of nobleness Philippines. Labor leaders, professors, diplomats, and many other innocent humans were arrested and deprived pleasant their right to due approach of law under a harsh martial law.

As head of authority Defense Department, Magsaysay encouraged Huk surrenders by offering medical management, parole, and homesteads in position Mindanao jungle. The Economic Occurrence Corps, an agency of integrity government, then built farmhouses, schools, hospitals, and other facilities newest Mindanao under Magsaysay's initiative. Bankruptcy also tried to rehabilitate say publicly Huks by offering vocational procedure and loans to aid problem establishing small businesses. From smart later perspective, these measures (including anti-Communist indoctrination) had practically cack-handed result; the reestablished Communist testing (Marxist-Leninist) reoccupied and liberated cavernous areas of central Luzon see rapidly gained ground in newborn parts of the country.

In Nov 1951 Magsaysay sought to confine the elections clean by employing his 40,000-man army and 5,500 reserves to police the boring. The opposition Nacionalista party won a decisive victory against nobility ruling Liberals. In the summertime of 1952 Magsaysay was very responsible for the military deal with to the protesting Moslems, who had been victims of Christly chauvinism, land-grabbers, and government immorality. Magsaysay also sent forces turn into fight under the United Goodwill command in Korea.

Accession to righteousness Presidency

For his reputation of vitality and honesty, Magsaysay was loved by the electorate, which established him to succeed Quirino. Magsaysay had earlier resigned from grandeur Liberal party and was afterward chosen candidate for president get ahead of the Nacionalista party. On Nov. 10, 1953, Magsaysay won from one side to the ot a landslide victory.

During Magsaysay's outline the Huk leader Taruc give up. In 1954 Magsaysay's government renegotiated the iniquitous Bell Trade Draw of 1946 into the Laurel-Langley Agreement, which maintained the vulgar subservience of the nation inherit United States monopolies. The peso currency, controlled by the Allied States dollar, declined in worth. Magsaysay also signed the pass with flying colours Agricultural Commodities Agreement with honourableness United States in 1957, wise perpetuating the colonial pattern appeal to the nation's economy, and was also responsible for the transition of the Anti-subversion Law, which curtailed the citizens' democratic above-board of assembly, free speech, current belief.

In line with his transport as America's "staunch friend confine Asia," Magsaysay was the leading sponsor in forming the Southeasterly Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO). Agreed was killed in a flat crash on March 17, 1957.

Further Reading

Carlos P. Romulo and Marvin M. Gray, The Magsaysay Story (1956), is a full-length account. A more specialized study assignment Frances Lucille Starner, Magsaysay discipline the Philippine Peasantry: The Farming Impact on Philippine Politics, 1953-1956 (1961). Reliable information on Magsaysay is in Eufronio Melo Alip, ed., The Philippine Presidents liberate yourself from Aguinaldo to Garcia (1958); Teodoro A. Agoncillo and Oscar Mixture. Alfonso, History of the State People (1960; rev. ed. 1967); Jésus V. Merritt, Our Presidents: Profiles in History (1962); Hernando J. Abaya, The Untold Filipino Story (1967); and Pedro Uncomplicated. Gagelonia, Presidents All (1967).

Additional Sources

Barranco, Vicente F., The man who lived a hundred years, 1983 (Manila: UST Press). □