EDITORIAL — Reflection of better times

Today is the 50th death anniversary of President Ramon Magsaysay. He died on this day in 1957 when his plane, the Mount Pinatubo, crashed into another mountain, Mount Manunggal, in the central ranges of Cebu.

According to most historical accounts, Magsaysay was one of the most popular presidents the Philippines ever had and was well-loved by the masses. Often referred to as " My Guy, " he loved to mingle with the crowds with little or no security.

You cannot do that now, not even if you are relatively popular. When you are president, there is always the possibility that someone will try and get you. For these are no longer the heady times of innocence and fresh air. Ferdinand Marcos changed all that in 1972.

Prior to Marcos, all Philippine presidents commanded relative respect and enjoyed a good measure of their dignity. When Marcos declared martial law in 1972, he changed the character of an entire nation.

Political power no longer meant ascendant leadership. It meant influence and leverage over all aspects of life. To those who want doors opened even when there were none, the only way to go was politics.

As they have said a billion times in this country, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. That is the legacy of martial law. Every president thereafter had to contend with the immense power of the presidency heretofore fully understood and appreciated and used.

To their eternal credit, Magsaysay and all presidents prior to martial law can be likened to have lived in an era of lollipops and balloons. Magsaysay may have died a tragic death, but he was blessed to have come before the great social deluge.

Today, presidents no longer command respect nor enjoy any dignity. Even the office has been soiled by those clearly impaired by a dire lack of the true qualities essential to sitting there. Let the Magsaysay rites today then be meaningful in its reflection of a better time.