Zambales marks 114th birth anniversary of ex-President Ramon Magsaysay

The ancestral house of former President Ramon Magsaysay in Castillejos town, Zambales province, is also a museum managed by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP). It serves as the venue of a simple commemoration of Magsaysay’s 114th birth anniversary on Tuesday, Aug. 31. (Photo from NHCP Museo ni Ramon Magsaysay Facebook)

CASTILLEJOS, Zambales — Local officials here on Tuesday (Aug. 31) marked the 114th birth anniversary of former President Ramon Magsaysay at his ancestral house in Barangay Sta Maria in this town.

Former Zambales Vice Gov. Angel Magsaysay-Cheng, who represented the Magsaysay family, led the occasion with a wreath-laying ceremony at a monument of the country’s seventh president.

A Mass was also offered at the Sta. Maria Chapel beside the ancestral house that was already turned into a museum being managed by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.

Called “Museo ni Ramon Magsaysay,” it features three main galleries — The Life of Magsaysay, Magsaysay’s Family, and Death and Legacy — that preserved several artifacts and memorabilia belonging to the late president.

Aug. 31 has been declared a special non-working holiday in the province to commemorate the occasion this year.

Prior to becoming a president, Magsaysay, who was born in the capital town of Iba, served as representative of the district of Zambales from 1946 to 1949 and as defense secretary from 1950 to 1953.

He died in a plane crash on Mt. Manunggal in Cebu on March 17, 1957.