New ‘Magsaysay: Servant Leader ‘ biography launched, now for sale

It was a celebration of a life well-lived and a documentation of a legacy as the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) hosted the official launch of the new biographical book about the late President Ramon Magsaysay at The Conservatory of the Manila Peninsula Hotel.

The new book, titled “Ramon Magsaysay: ‘Servant Leader’ with a Vision of Hope,” is written by Dr. Jose Veloso Abueva, who also penned the first edition of the president’s political biography in 1971. This new edition is a fresh take on the life and political leadership of President Magsaysay, focusing on his vision for the Philippine government and his hopes for the common people.

RMAF president Carmencita Abella said during the launch, ‘The books are a good reference to learn about the great man that was Ramon Magsaysay.”

During the launch held on November 14, Abueva talked about the differences between the first and second books, and how he updated the contents of the second book to show the influence, legacy, and continuing relevance of Magsaysay’s presidency to the Philippines.

Abueva explained that the first edition was focused on Magsaysay’s role as a political leader how it was affected by the interplay between his personality and his values, attitudes, and hopes. It also viewed the Magsaysay presidency through the lens of the current Philippine political landscape of the 1960s until 1971.

Meanwhile, the second book is a look back at Magsaysay’s presidency and the kind of leadership that characterized it, now viewed through the lens of history—55 years since the end of his office and 41 years since the first book was released.

Abueva writes in the preface of “Ramon Magsaysay: ‘Servant Leader’ with a Vision of Hope,” “[T]he past half century provides us ample hindsight and perspective to re-assess and appreciate even more the distinctive leadership of Ramon Magsaysay.”

In addition, this new biographical book also emphasizes the political reforms that the president had hoped to institute during his presidency and how these reforms have “yet to be made.”

“Ramon Magsaysay: ‘Servant Leader’ with a Vision of Hope” is now available through the RMAF offices (telephone numbers 521-3166 to 80). For more information, contact Ms. Kiel Fernandez at 521-3166 loc 189 or e-mail communications@rmaf.org.ph.