Last week I published part one of this series. You’ll note there are links just above this sentence to let you navigate directly to the various installments of this article. Enjoy.
A while back I published some articles on the ‘real Filipinos’ which pleased me, at least, greatly. I recently came across some very well done biographical material, thanks to the US Army History Center, on one of my personal heroes and a Filipino whose life is worth knowing about, I think. Sadly, you won’t find this material anywhere online in the Philippines … although there was never so much as a hint of scandal attached to his name, and although he was the only Filipino president to die without multiple mansions, wealth and prestige gained at the expense of his fellow Filipinos, there is little known or mention about Ramon (The Guy) Magsaysay in day to day life here. You won’t even find him on a bank note, the anniversary of his birth and death are seldom noted, and I personally think it’s a shame .. so rather than complain, I will inform … my readers can form their own judgment:
Ramon Magsaysay
Once in Congress, Magsaysay continued to fight for veteran rights and was soon appointed to the House Committee on National Defense, the committee with oversight responsibility for the armed forces. He became the committee’s chairman after his reelection in 1949 and was instrumental in transferring the Police Constabulary from the Interior Department to the Department of National Defense. Magsaysay was also responsible for the reorganization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines into battalion combat teams, and its assumption of responsibility from the Police Constabulary for the anti-Huk campaign in Luzon.
While Chairman of the Armed Forces Committee, he traveled to Washington in April 1950 on a quest to obtain financial aid for the faltering government in Manila. The importance of this visit was twofold.
First, after conferring with General George C. Marshall (who was still in retirement before becoming Secretary of Defense in the fall), and speaking with President Truman and the National Security Council, he received $10 million in emergency aid to pay the military and offer rewards for information about the insurgents and was promised additional assistance under the Military Assistance Agreement of March 1947.
Second, and as important for the anti-Huk campaign, he met and befriended newly promoted Lieutenant Colonel Edward G. Lansdale, an Air Force intelligence officer familiar with the Philippines and her people, and who would very shortly become Magsaysay’s personal JUSMAG advisor.
On his return to Manila, Magsaysay told Roxas’ successor, President Quirino that Philippine prestige in the United States was at a low ebb as a result of poor social conditions and Huk success in the Luzon countryside. He suggested that the president take immediate steps to purge the government of corrupt officials and institute needed agrarian reforms.
The Philippine president suggested that Magsaysay confine his attentions to the military situation and promptly ignored Magsaysay’s comments. After all, Magsaysay had succeeded in bringing home $10 million and the future seemed to promise even more American money and equipment.
Part 3 next week
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