Tuesday, March 06, 2018

THE FIRST THREE BEST PRESIDENTS


Including the incumbent, the Philippines has 16 great Presidents that served the country to the best of their competencies.  Sixteen leaders in sixteen different needs, situations and times, it is really so difficult to name the best simply because we did not live entirely in the era of these 16 great leaders.  And it seems incomparable to weigh each from each because different situation means different approach and capacity, that the very qualified and intelligent leader of a certain era may not be the same very qualified and intelligent if put in different year, this makes each people unique.  Although it may incomparable but at least we can check their strength and weaknesses individually and figure out how their administration was.

Every President has accomplishments, strength and weaknesses.  No matter how good and best, every presidency has failures and its own share of controversies.  As a concerned private citizen, I am watching the happenings though not fully dedicated but I am do aware of the country’s issues.  All through these years in my generation, I am waiting the true savior who will save us from this political and economic suffering.  It is in this mentality that I have found to check the contributions and issues of these leaders that changed the life of the Filipino people to see who the “best” among of them is.  To the best of my ability, I tried to appraise each leader in their accomplishments, controversies, strong and weak points without prejudice and admiration.    I rated each President using a percentile system.  In rating them, I tried an honest evaluation and used an independent mind to come up with a satisfied result.  I am a person of not politicized; From President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s predecessor back to President Ferdinand E. Marcos’ late era, I basically based my assessment on what I have personally witnessed plus few articles.  For those I did not see from Pres. Marcos early years all the way back to President Emilio Aguinaldo’s time, I used old articles, reviews and books.

I made two appraisals.  I don’t want to be too complacent in the first result.  On the second, I used conservative and strict approach to balance the result of the first appraisal.  Comparing the two results, there is slight difference of their order of ranking and on average they are not far.  But there is one unanimous, the top on my list topped both appraisals.  All the while you thought I am pro-Aquino based on my views that most often favor them, you will surprise none of the two former Aquino presidents made it on my best three.  As a matter of fact, I rated Ferdinand Marcos, a famous Aquino’s nemesis, 99% the highest I gave in one of the criteria.  It proves my being a non-political citizen.  While in a survey said Pres. Marcos is the best president in the whole world, it did not show on my appraisal, it shows instead that survey is a survey and it is not really reliable as facts in legit books.  And without intention, I am happy to see a president who existed on my time to make it on my top 3.  True to what they said, President Fidel V. Ramos is the best president after Marco’s era.  President Ramon F. Magsaysay topped my ranking in both appraisals.  In most of my readings, I almost did not find negative remarks about Pres. Magsaysay and if so, even his weak points are still almost not that dismaying.  Pres. Magsaysay had made remarkable contributions, benefits and milestone in Philippines welfare and in the life of the Filipino people.  Among those are his most corruption-free and cleanest administration, country’s robust economy and high confidence in peace and order.  And it is during Pres. Magsaysay’s time when it was cited as the Philippines’ golden years, making him the most trusted and love president of all time.  Without reservation, I totally chose Ramon F. Magsaysay the Best President that the Philippines ever had.   I continue to read articles about our country’s presidents and in the future I may get stories that I haven’t read that will change the order of my list of Philippines’ Commander in Chief.  For now, it is safe to say the list below is my latest ranking of Philippines’ best presidents:


1. Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay Sr.
2. Carlos Polistico Garcia
3. Fidel Valdez Ramos
4. Jose Paciano  Laurel
5. Ma. Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino
6. Manuel Luis Molina Quezon
7. Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III
8. Manuel Acuna Roxas
9. Elpidio Rivera Quirino
10. Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos
11. Diosdado Pangan Macapagal
12. Emilio Famy Aguinaldo Sr.
13. Sergio Suico Osmena Sr.
14. Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal-Arroyo
15. Joseph Ejercito Estada
16. Rodrigo Roa Duterte
(list updated as of October 2024)


RAMON F. MAGSAYSAY


CARLOS P. GARCIA


FIDEL V. RAMOS

2 comments:

Alex V. Villamayor said...

This is a sort of addendum: And how about Pres. Duterte? Too early to consider, he’s not even on half of his term. But for the purpose of discussion, DU30 has all the chances to make the country’s economy a real stable and potent. Starting from inherited healthy economy made by PNoy, all he needs to do is at least just to sustain it if not exceed. Tita Cory who started from bankruptcy courtesy of the Marcoses, managed the budget deficit and survived, how much more DU30 who started it big? On the otherhand, DU30 must learn from our female former presidents in addressing the security threat. Cory received several coup plots and so PGMA but they never declared martial law as their last resort. And to top it all, he has to earn the respect and love of the majority people just like the champion of the mass Pres. Magsaysay who was pro-life and valued the ideals of democracy. No matter how he tops of these SWS and Pulse Asia surveys, survey is just a survey, what's really matter is fact.

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