Editing History of the Philippines (section)

=== Administration of Ramon Magsaysay (1953–1957) ===
[[File:Prime-Minister-Pibulsonggram-Vice-President-Carlos-P-Garcia-President-Ramon.jpg|thumb|upright|President [[Ramon Magsaysay|Magsaysay]] (right) in 1957]]

As President, he was a close friend and supporter of the United States and a vocal spokesman against communism during the [[Cold War]]. He led the foundation of the [[Southeast Asia Treaty Organization]], also known as the Manila Pact of 1954, that aimed to defeat communist-Marxist movements in Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Southwestern Pacific.

During his term, he made [[Malacañan Palace|Malacañang]] literally a "house of the people", opening its gates to the public. One example of his integrity followed a demonstration flight aboard a new plane belonging to the [[Philippine Air Force]] (PAF): President Magsaysay asked what the operating costs per hour were for that type of aircraft, then wrote a personal check to the PAF, covering the cost of his flight. He restored the people's trust in the military and in the government.

Magsaysay's administration was considered one of the cleanest and most corruption-free in modern Philippine history; his rule is often cited as the Philippines' "Golden Years". Trade and industry flourished, the [[Philippine military]] was at its prime, and the country gained international recognition in sports, culture, and foreign affairs. The Philippines placed second on a ranking of Asia's clean and well-governed countries.

Supported by the United States, Magsaysay was elected president in 1953 on a [[populism|populist]] platform. He promised sweeping economic reform, and made progress in [[Land reform in the Philippines|land reform]] by promoting the resettlement of poor people in the Catholic north into traditionally Muslim areas. Though this relieved population pressure in the north, it heightened religious hostilities.<ref name="uslc-26">{{Harvnb|Dolan|1991-26}}</ref> Remnants of the communist [[Hukbalahap]]<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/nootherwayout00jeff |url-access=registration |quote=huk rebellion. |title=No Other Way Out: States and Revolutionary Movements, 1945–1991 |last1=Goodwin |first1=Jeff |date=June 4, 2001 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-62948-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/nootherwayout00jeff/page/119 119]}}</ref> were defeated by Magsaysay.<ref name="Molina, Antonio 1961">Molina, Antonio. ''The Philippines: Through the Centuries''. Manila: University of Santo Tomas Cooperative, 1961. Print.</ref><ref>Carlos P. Romulo and Marvin M. Gray, The Magsaysay Story (1956), is a full-length biography</ref> He was extremely popular with the common people, and his death in an [[1957 Cebu Douglas C-47 crash|airplane crash]] in March 1957 dealt a serious blow to national morale.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,809261,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100418020304/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,809261,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 18, 2010 |title=THE PHILIPPINES: Death of a Friend |date=March 25, 1957 |magazine=Time |access-date=November 30, 2010 }}</ref> At this time, the Philippines joined the United Nations in defending South Korea from North Korean invasions. The Philippines was the first country in Southeast Asia to recognize South Korean independence and was the first to send military units to fight on [[South Korea]]'s behalf.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1083430 |title=SoKor thanks anew PH military assistance in Korean War |work=Philippine News Agency |access-date=August 15, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/18/20/south-korea-honors-filipinos-who-fought-in-korean-war-on-70th-anniversary |title=South Korea honors Filipinos who fought in Korean War on 70th anniversary |publisher=ABS-CBN News |access-date=August 15, 2021}}</ref>