Caricature of President Ramon Magsaysay

Seventh President of the Republic of the Philippines

December 30, 1953 – March 17, 1957

Ramon Magsaysay was born in Iba, Zambales to Exequiel Magsaysay and Perfecta del Fierro on August 31, 1907. He started to work as a chief mechanic for the Try Tran Bus Company in Manila after he graduated in college in 1931. Magsaysay became the general manager of the company when it started to be profitable after saving the company from losing money when he introduced the new working methods and measures against corrupt employees.
He met his wife, Luz Banzon at the office of Try Tran when she was picking up the payment for a bus company that her father had sold to Try Tran. They married on June 10, 1933 and got three children, Teresita, Milagros and Ramon Jr. who also became congressman and senator.

During World War II, Magsaysay joined the Philippine Army as a Captain and organized the Western Luzon Guerrilla Forces that fought Japanese invaders in 1942. When the American forces liberated the Philippines in 1945, the American command promoted him to the rank of Major and appointed him as Military Governor of Zambales before it  was administered by a civilian Governor.

Magsaysay ran as an Independent and was elected to the House of Representatives on april 23, 1946. He was re-elected for a second term in 1949 election and handled the Chairman of the House National Defence Committee in his both terms.

On August 31, 1950, he was appointed as Secretary of National Defence by President Quirino after he offered the president a plan to fight the Communist guerillas.

Magsaysay ran and was elected president in the election of 1953 defeating the incumbent president Elpidio Quirino. He was the first president who wore Barong Tagalog during inauguration. Because of his grounded approach to leadership, he was hailed by his countrymen as the “Champion of the Masses”.

Magsaysay went to Cebu City on March 16, 1957 where he spoke at three educational institutions. He boarded the presidential plane heading back to Manila the same night, and in the early morning of March 17, his plane was reported missing. The plane crashed on Mt. Manunggal in Cebu and only Nestor Mata, a newspaper man was the only survivor out of the 27 passengers and crew aboard, President Ramon Magsaysay and the 25 others were killed. Vice President Carlos P. Garcia assumed the presidency to serve out the last eight months of Magsaysay’s term.