The Uncharismatic President
The “Poor Boy from Lubao”, as he campaigned himself in the 1961 Philippine general elections, was said to be a shrewd politician and an uncharismatic man. The late Senator Ninoy Aquino described him thus:
People respected him but he aroused no real love, adoration, idolatry--and that’s important in a political leader. For a man like Magsaysay you could work 24 hours a day and still not feel tired--but, for a politician, Macapagal was dry: stingy with praise, low to appreciate, not demonstrative, not communicative.
Many social commentators of the time agree with this assessment. He was described as a tireless workaholic, and a bore. But what made Diosdado Macapagal stand out and win the Presidency was his uncanny dedication for the poor. Some more sophisticated people in Manila winced whenever he went abroad to represent the country, perhaps from a perceived uncouthness, but this rough edged candidate may have contributed to his win.
He was, after all, an unprecedented presidential candidate.
Prior to 1961, he served as legal assistant to Presidents like Manuel Quezon, and Jose P. Laurel. In times of war and in peace, as public servant in the Palace and later on as Congressman, he had consistently sided with the masses, but not to the point of capturing the populist sentiments of the time, like Magsaysay. The turning point was in 1957, when he ran for the Vice Presidency, with his running mate Emmanuel Pelaez. Macapagal won, but with a President of an opposing party.
*Liberal Party candidates, Macapagal (left) and Pelaez (right), in the campaign trail for the 1961 Presidential Elections. Photo from the Presidential Museum and Library.
It was the first time in Philippine history that the President and the Vice President belonged to different parties. Hence, President Carlos P. Garcia, in a break with tradition, took offense and did not give Macapagal a position in his Cabinet. But it was Garcia’s grave mistake. Macapagal, going beyond his mandate as Vice President, had four years of his term to tour the country, implement social programs, and making sure that the people know his name.
Come the 1961 elections, when Garcia, who initially announced that he would retire, heard that Macapagal was running as president under the Liberal Party ticket, he decided to run again for reelection, and understandably lost. Macapagal was uncharismatic, but at least he was perceived to be sincere in wanting a change in political values, and priorities.
As writer Napoleon Rama described him, “No one in our history has risen so high in government service from so humble beginning.” It was so humble in fact, that when his opponent’s party, the Nacionalistas, tried to look for any skeletons in Macapagal’s closet, they found nothing. He owned no house or land when he ascended the Presidency.
*Diosdado Macapagal swears an oath as the 9th President of the Philippines on December 30, 1961. Photo from Wikimedia Commons.
But three months into his presidency, the Harry Stonehill scandal exploded on Macapagal’s face. Stonehill, a corrupt businessman who contributed to Macapagal’s campaign, had been implicated by whistleblower, Meinhart Spielman. The mysterious “blue book” that Stonehill had, listed all the politicians that he colluded with, and Macapagal’s name was there. In a swift stroke of a presidential pen, even before the Senate hearing began on Stonehill, Macapagal had Stonehill deported to the United States, and fired his Justice Secretary Jose W. Diokno. Diokno was the one who initiated the raid on Stonehill’s office and found implicating documents against the President.
But Macapagal initiated some earth-shaking programs in the country. He signed the first Land Reform law that tremendously lessened the burden of farmers. He pushed for the Philippine claim on Sabah in the International Court of Justice at the time when Malaysia was newly formed. And in the backdrop of the United States’ rejection of the proposed World War II reparation bill for Filipinos, and with influence from reputable Filipino historians, Macapagal changed the date of the commemoration of Philippine independence from July 4 to June 12.
During his term, he lived a very frugal life, even rarely using the luxurious presidential state car lent to him. But he remained a mysterious man in the public eye, who “left no clear-cut imprint of his personality.” But he was the first president to have a comprehensive program for government, although he found it hard to make the large bureaucracy of government understand this.
After his term, Macapagal was elected president of the 1971 Constitutional Convention, tasked to amend the 1935 constitution. However, plagued with scandals and political maneuverings involving the Marcos administration, and the subsequent declaration of Martial Law on September 23, 1972, the convention was a failure, and the constitution as envisioned by Marcos prevailed, extending his term and changing the government structure to parliamentary government under constitutional authoritarianism.
Macapagal eventually opposed the dictatorship. He formed the National Union for Liberation Party to contend with Marcos, and later on revealed that he found the new constitution questionable.
In all this, I think we need to face the reality that presidents are as imperfect as the people who elected them. We will never have a perfect president. Misunderstood though Macapagal was, and highly suspected by the public of his time (as it should be on any ruling president), his legacy is here to stay. And there is good in this legacy. Let us build on the good that he began.
“Corruption in government, like sin in man, may not be completely eradicated. But it can be minimized to a degree as to be tolerable to the attainment of robust economic growth and an edifying social progress.”
*Painting above comes from the Presidential Museum and Library website. It is the second commissioned official portrait of President Diosdado Macapagal, painted by Rolando Ponce Lampitoc Sr. in the style of Fernando Amorsolo.
In commemoration of the 107th birth anniversary of the late President Diosdado Pangan Macapagal, yesterday.
The text of this blog is based on my lecture delivered at the President Diosdado P. Macapagal Museum and Library at Lubao, Pampanga on 28 September 2017.
