Magsaysay Celebration

Remembering President Ramon “The Guy” Magsaysay

March is a special month because it marks the end of classes, graduation time, and of course the beginning of summer in tropical Philippines.

But there’s one other thing that makes the month of March even more special and commemorative a time for Cebuanos . It is during this month that we remember one of the greatest presidents the Philippines ever had – President Ramon “The Guy” Magsaysay . And this year, Barangay Magsaysay in Balamban, Cebu will hold the good president’s 60th death anniversary celebration.

President Ramon Magsaysay Sr. was already in the last year of his term when he flew to Cebu City on March 16, 1957 to attend to a series of speaking engagements. Despite the long day he had, he insisted on flying back to Manila from then Lahug Airport (now the location of Asiatown IT Park) in Cebu City on

Manunggal transforms into a vibrant party place every 17th day of March (or the weekend near the date) when Barangay Magsaysay (formerly Barangay Sunog) holds its annual fiesta and at the same time celebrate the death anniversary of a beloved president.

As the crash site of Magsaysay’s presidential plane, Mt. Manunggal became an instant tourist spot. In fact, it is easier now to visit the mountain via a barangay road carved at the back of the range to the right of the Cebu Transcentral Highway past Barangay Gaas. For the more adventurous lots, they take a 3-hour uphill trek through a rough path from Barangays Tabunan, Tagba-o or Gaas, traversing rivers and streams along the way.

The mountain itself holds several mementos of the late president and his tragic flight including a cylinder block of one of Mt. Pinatubo 's plane engines. There’s also a list of the people who died with the president etched on marble laid on the point of impact. To the east of the engine is a chapel, and several steps below stands the monument of the President Magsaysay. There are also public toilets and a spring