Babasahin Hinggil sa Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas

Reading Material #5

Leon O. Ty's "It's Up to You Now" and the Magsaysay Myth

Mainstream Philippine history textbooks always paint Ramon Magsaysay as the People's
President. His humble beginnings and educational background were placed in stark contrast to his
predecessors'. Indeed, the presidents before him were all lawyers who came from the old landed
elite families and were prominent figures in Philippine politics for many generations of the
American period. Magsaysay, however, did not enjoy the same advantages. He was not a lawyer,
did not come from the national elite, was former employee of a bus company in his province, and
a hardened guerrilla during the war. He was a governor of Zambales, elected as a legislator, and
was appointed as secretary of National Defense under President Quirino. As defense secretary,
Magsaysay gained popularity in his successful campaign against the Huks.

For all intents and purposes, Magsaysay was painted as a self-made president who rose from the
ranks of the masses through sheer ability and patriotism. He was celebrated as an anti-communist
hero who broke the growing momentum of the Huk rebellion as a defense secretary. He was
beholden to no one because he had no significant business interest and was perceived and portrayed
as a "man of action" who would put an end to the corruption and inefficiency of the government
led by an oligarchy. U.S. newspapers and magazines supported this image, and so did the
Philippine press.

Journalist Leon O. Ty penned an article "It's Up to You Now" for the Philippine Free Press three
days before the November 1953 presidential election. This article is an illustration of Magsaysay's
portrayal in the press. The article started with an anecdote where defense secretary Magsaysay
called a newsman to express his worries in the way things were run in the Quirino cabinet. The
article narrated how Magsaysay worried about having earned the ire of the president when he
contradicted a particular shady deal about sugar importation that involved a certain compadre to
the president. The article read:
I have my doubts, Magsaysay answered rather gloomily. The Apo [pertaining to the
president] seems to dislike me now."
"But why should he dislike you? the newsman queried. 'Didn't you restore peace and order
for him? You gave him prestige when you kept the 1951 elections clean. The President has
repeatedly said he is proud of you."
Magsaysay said Quirino began to be indifferent to him when articles about his success in
combating the Huks were published in leading American magazines like Time, Life,
Saturday Evening Post, Newsweek, and Collier's.

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 Babasahin Hinggil sa Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas
Reading Material #5

Leon Ty's write-up craftily narrated the history of Magsaysay's political career, from his days as a
war veteran to his days as the defense secretary, until he resigned from the Quirino cabinet and
immediately transferred from the Liberal Party to the Nacionalista Party where he was drafted as
the standard-bearer. Ty's article also described Magsaysay's initial plan to resign from the
Nacionalista Party and to run for senator under a third party:
'What do you plan to do now?' Magsaysay was asked toward the end of the conversation.
“Resign from the Cabinet and join a third party. I can't join the Opposition. I don't think
the Nacionalistas will accept me, knowing I'm a Liberal."
But what will you do in a third party? inquired the newsman.
I'll run for senator, he said.
Useless for you to join a third party and run for a Senate post. You can't win. Not as a third
party candidate....

The foregoing story is related to show that Ramon Magsaysay at the time never dreamed of
becoming a candidate for president of the Liberal Party, much less of the Opposition.
The article also described the confidence of hardcore nationalists to Magsaysay. These include
Jose P. Laurel, Claro M. Recto, and Lorenzo Tañada. This confidence demonstrated that
Magsaysay had the trust of leaders known for their anti-Americanism. Supporting Magsaysay,
according to Ty, was how the Nacionalista leaders such as Laurel showed patriotism:
Many people are still wondering why Dr. Laurel was willing to sacrifice his personal
ambition in favor of the former LP defense secretary. They still believe that in a clean
election, Laurel could win against any Liberal as shown in 1951. With victory practically
in sight, why did Dr. Laurel decide to invite Magsaysay to be the NP standard-bearer?
Senator Laurel had his reasons for this action..
"If I run and lose through frauds and violence as in 1949, he is said to have told close
friends, "I will surely be driven to desperation. I may even have to resort to drastic
measures. In which case, might have to go to the mountains and lead a band of rebels,
guerrillas. That I cannot do now on account of my age. I'm tired.

And if I win, could I get as much aid from the United States as Magsaysay could? I don't
think so. I know pretty well how I stand in the eyes of the American people. Because of
my collaboration record during the Occupation, many Americans who still don't know what
actually happened here during the war will stand in the way of material aid to our country.
I have no choice. The welfare of our people is more important to me than my personal
ambition. But if Magsaysay wins, I think America will go out of her way to help us because
he is a friend, a great friend. To the American people, and for that matter, to the people of

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 Babasahin Hinggil sa Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas
Reading Material #5

the world, Magsaysay is the physical embodiment of Democracy's courageous stand

The rest of the article painted a picture of the Liberal regime in the Philippines for the past eight
years. Ty casually stated, "In this article, we feel there is no need to enumerate what President
Quirino has done for the country during the years he has been in office. The Filipino people know
what he has accomplished. They also know what he failed to do." After a hefty narrative of
Magsaysay's career that included depictions of his accomplishments, character, and frustrations,
the article ended with a challenge for its readers: "The hectic political campaign is over. You,
fellow voters, have heard the pros and cons of the issues involved in this election... It's up to you
now!"

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