End of the Saga as We Know It

Presidency:

By 1953 President Quirino thought the threat of the Huks was under control and Secretary Magsaysay was becoming too powerful. Magsaysay met with interference and obstruction from the President and his advisers, in fear they might be unseated at the next presidential election.

Although Magsaysay had at that time no intention to run, he was urged from many sides and finally was convinced that the only way to continue his fight against communism, and for a government for the people, was to be elected President, ousting the corrupt administration that, in his opinion, had caused the rise of the communist guerrillas by bad administration.

He 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 Osías at the Nacionalista national convention.

President and Mrs. Magsaysay with Eleanor Roosevelt at the Malacañang Palace.

In the Election of 1953, Magsaysay was decisively elected president over the incumbent Elpidio Quirino. He was sworn into office wearing the Barong Tagalog, a first by a Philippine president.

As president, he was a close friend and supporter of the United States and a vocal spokesman against communism during the Cold War. He led the foundation of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization also known as the Manila Pact of 1954, that aimed to defeat communist-Marxist movements in South East Asia, South Asia and the Southwestern Pacific. During his term, he made Malacañáng Palace literally a "house of the people", opening its gates to the public.

One example of his integrity followed a demonstration flight aboard a new plane belonging to the Philippines Air Force (PAF). President 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.

Death

Main article: 1957 Cebu Douglas C-47 crash

On March 16, 1957 Magsaysay left Manila for Cebu City where he spoke at three educational institutions. That same night, at about 1 a.m., he boarded the presidential plane "Mt. Pinatubo", a C-47, heading back to Manila. In the early morning hours of March 17, his plane was reported missing. It was late in the afternoon that day that newspapers reported that the airplane had crashed on Mt. Manunggal in Cebu and that 25 of the 26 passengers and crew aboard were killed. Only newspaperman Néstor Mata survived. Vice President Carlos P. García, who was on an official visit to Australia at the time, assumed the presidency to serve out the last eight months of Magsaysay’s term.

An estimated 2 million people attended Magsaysay’s burial on March 22, 1957.^[1][2][3]

^{Editor’s Note:  And this ends this story.  Some personal observations.}

First, it has been related to me from several sources that Magsaysay was the only president of the Philippines to leave office poor.  A public subscription had to be undertaken so that a house could be purchased for his widow.  Quote a contrast to what I have personally observed regarding current office ‘leavers’.

Second.  For tears I regarded the CIA mystery theories and other comments made about the Magsaysay death flight as mere drama and idle speculation.  Perhaps they still are. 

However, in putting together this article I found that the public investigation and explanation lave a lot to be explained.  The accident was apparently investigated by the Philippine Constabulary, hardly an authoritative body regarding aviation safety issues. 

Further, I have been a member of official crash investigation boards for the USAF, I know quite a bit about the operation and maintenance of the Douglas C-47 aircraft, and I have read and critiques well over 2,000 actual air crash investigation reports for many countries.  Magsaysay’s crash may have been pure pilot error, it may have been mechanical in nature, ther may be some more sinsiter explanation. but it did not happen the way it was presented on April 27, 1957, the by the chief of the Philippine Constabulary, General Manuel F. Cabal, unless the only existing transcripts of his testimony are in error.

We may never know.

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