Remembering Magsaysay

The Official Gazette, which marks the birth and death anniversaries of our presidents, vice-presidents, leaders of the legislature and judiciary, national artists, and heroes, has a special tribute page to President Magsaysay, including a Filipino translation of the Magsaysay Credo:

A basic biodata, list of cabinet officials, and basic economic statistics from the era, is available in the Presidential Museum and Library website:

One way to recapture the flavor and tempo of past times is to review the journalism of the era. Here is the Philippines Free Press telling its readers why, in its judgment, Magsaysay deserved to be its Man of the Year for 1950:

Magsaysay made waves not only nationally, but internationally, too:

By 1953, election fever was in the air, and in this editorial, the Free Press describes what a political phenomenon it was:

Another thing long gone, is the political drama of political conventions. In the Free Press, there’s a vivid account of the Nacionalista Party convention that marked the dawning of a new generation of leaders:

The 1953 campaign saw the birth of the modern political jingle, in this case, the “Mambo Magsaysay,” composed by Raul Manglapus, and which gained a new lease on life during the Edsa Revolution, when it was played over the radio as a pointed reminder to Ferdinand E. Marcos about what People Power was all about.

Magsaysay hit the ground running, with dramatic moves and a whirlwind of activity, as recounted in the Free Press:

Acclaimed for his fight against corruption, this editorial cartoon by E.Z. Izon in the Free Press, illustrates the heavy burden and lonely 

The phenomenal popularity of President Magsaysay, and his vigorous executive style alarmed the Old Guard in politics:

Among the things that endeared President Magsaysay to people was his informality. Here is a photo of him having a meeting in the Family Dining Room of the Palace (now known as the Magsaysay Room):

He also set a standard for personal integrity that remains a model of good governance to this day:

As for the Magsaysay presidency, the four State of the Nation Addresses that were delivered by Magsaysay, provide a summary of his administration’s programs and the rhetoric of the day:

Mere months before the 1957 elections, which Magsaysay was widely expected to win by a landslide, his life was tragically cut short when the aircraft he was on crashed. There was only one survivor. Here’s newsman Nestor Mata’s account of the crash:

The wake and funeral that followed, became the biggest in our history, until Ninoy Aquino’s assassination in 1983. Ninoy Aquino himself had started in politics as an assistant of President Magsaysay. President Magsaysay is buried in the Manila North Cemetery.