Senator Ramon B. Magsaysay, Jr.
Senator Ramon B. Magsaysay, Jr, inherited his
great sense of compassion for the common tao
from his revered parents, the late President
Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay of Zambales and Mrs.
Luz Magsaysay (nee Banzon) of Bataan.
But more
than being the son of the country’s most loved
president, he is a self-made man. With President
Magsaysay’s sudden death on March 17, 1957, 18-year-old
Jun inherited greater responsibilities that enabled him
to recognize the value of perseverance and hard work.
“…Those who
have less in life should have more in law,” the said
grassroots slogan was the hallmark of the Magsaysay
administration in the '50s. That same statement Jun
Magsaysay put to heart as he believes that to implement
genuine public service, it has to be oriented towards
bravely fighting for people’s rights to achieve a humane
and moral leadership. He has shown interest in pursuing
issues that manifest his sense of concern for the
greatest number of people and strong belief for moral
principles.
He has
pushed the Magsaysay crusade for an honest, efficient,
responsive and open (HERO) government.
1. IMPACT ON
PUBLIC WELFARE AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
A.SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND/OR CULTURAL IMPACT
When Senator Ramon B. Magsaysay, Jr. dissented
in the enactment of the Retail Trade
Liberalization Act in 1998, many were in
the opinion that while Magsaysay advocates
globalization, the preparedness and
readiness of the small businessmen are
primordial for them to survive international
competition. Believing that full
government assistance,
identification of safety nets, and a
five-year transition period to prepare SMEs with
the advent of liberal economy and open trading
are significant to enjoy the benefits of
GATT-WTO.
B.GEOGRAPHIC IMPACT
When Senator Magsaysay expressed his belief that
there was collusion between the military and the
Abu Sayyaf expressed through a Senate Committee
Report after conducting investigations on the
Basilan siege, many agreed that the solon wanted
national reform and would not countenance
wrongdoing. While he believed that
the Filipino soldiers should be accorded the
highest recognition by anchoring laws which
would further professionalize their ranks by
increasing militia’s base pay, providing them
and their families scholarships and housing
assistance, and upgrading the table of the
AFP organization, he also would not
tolerate abuses and violations of the basic
rights of the civilians.
C. YEARS
OF DEDICATED WORK AND SERVICE
His entry into politics came in 1966, when he
was elected as Congressman in the lone district
of Zambales, until 1969. He went back to
the private sector soon after. Gifted with
a keen business sense and learned in the ways of
mechanics, he pioneered the cable TV industry in
the country in the early '70s when antennas for
cable television were things unheard of.
Today, with roughly 900 cable operators
nationwide, the cable television business has
turned into a multi-billion peso a year
industry. And in recognition of setting
the blueprint for the sector, Magsaysay is known
as “The Father of Cable Television.”
For the last nine years since his election in
1995 and his subsequent reelection in 2001,
Senator Jun Magsaysay strives to work for
legislation that will help improve the living
conditions of the majority of the Filipino
people. His programs and policies for the
development of cooperatives and small and medium
enterprises (SMEs) are geared toward encouraging
ordinary Filipinos to make use of their
individual capabilities as they strive to attain
their socio-economic goals and uplift their
standard of living to a more decent and humane
condition.
Likewise, he is the proponent of programs that
empower the ordinary Filipino and help in the
economic transformation of our society through
Information Technology (IT), E-commerce, SME
start-ups, professionalization of varied sectors
and improving the cooperatives’ viability.
At present, he chairs two major committees :
agriculture and food, and science and
technology.
2. PARTICIPATION
IN GOVERNMENT, PROFESSIONAL, SOCIO-CIVIC, RELIGIOUS
ORGANIZATIONS AND NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
2000-present |
Honorary Member, Rotary Club of Parañaque |
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1969-present |
Reserve
Officer, Commander, Philippine Navy Trustee, Alay sa Kawal
& Ramon Magsaysay Society |
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1988-90 |
Business
Columnist, Philippine Daily Inquirer |
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1974-88 |
Member,
Board of Consultants, National Supply Services Boy Scouts of
the Philippines |
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1972-75 |
Vice
President and Director, South Rizal Chamber of Industries |
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1973-74 |
Member, De
La Salle College Alumni Board |
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1963-64 |
Assistant
to the Commissioner, Philippine Participation to the New
York World’s Fair |
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1962 |
Chairman,
National Youth Committee for UNICEF Group Leader, Way-US
Peace Corps Welfareville Project |
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1961-62 |
Vice
Chairman, Work-A-Year with the People Volunteer Doctors
Program under Sen. Raul Manglapus and Manuel Quezon |
3.AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
-
Golden Jubilee Awardee, Philippine Society
of Mechanical Engineers (2002)
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Most Outstanding Mechanical Engineer,
Professional Regulation Commission (2000)
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First Internet Man of the Year (2000), Web
Magazine
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Doctor of Humanities, Honoris Causa (1999),
Central Luzon State Univ.
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Most Outstanding De La Salle Alumnus, The
Philippine Star
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Father of Cable Television in the
Philippines
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Most Outstanding Senator, Graphic Magazine
4. IMPACT
ON FIELD OF ENDEAVOR OR PROFESSIONAL FIELD
Senator Magsaysay voted with 10 of his colleagues in the
Philippine Senate during the impeachment trial of President
Estrada to open the envelope that changed the landscape of
contemporary Philippine politics. Many agreed that he
respects moral leadership and honest public service.
In his mind, to open the envelope was the
prudent venue in seeking the truth.
The
Anti-Money Laundering Law of 2001 and its amendment in 2003,
is considered as one of the most controversial and
widely-debated policy measures in recent legislative
history. In the course of its lengthy deliberations,
many agreed that he was striking at the very core of public
service. The said two laws were unpopular with politicians
with the perception that many in the government would be
affected by its implementation, but Magsaysay
fought tooth and nail for its passage. In fact, in one
of the debates, he showed his disappointment and as
reported, he banged the podium when the bill was being
watered down.
5.LEGISLATIVE AGENDA (13th Congress)
- Personal Equity Retirement Account (PERA)
- Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ACEF)
- Young Farmers’ Program (YFP)
- Good Samaritan Bill
- Special Education Fund (Amending Art 272 of the
Local Government Code)
- Student Loan Program
- Computer Literacy as subjects in elementary and high
school curricula
- Cybercrime Act
- Coffee Research and Development Bill
- Terrorism Finance Act
- Rationalization of Tax Administration Bill
- Pre-Need Bill
- Corporate Recovery Act
- Doctors for the Barrios Bill
- Scholarship Program for Government Employees Act
- Botika sa Barangay Bill
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