President Carlos P. Garcia, a visionary leader

Our memories are enriched by experiences, past and present. I have treasured one such experience as a young budget officer in Malacañang. The chief executive then was Carlos Polistico Garcia, born in Talibon, Bohol, on a November day, generations ago.

I was a member of the Budget Commission staff asked to brief president Garcia on Feb. 7, 1961, at his Bohol Avenue residence, on the highlights of the 1962 National Government budget. After a brief question and answer period, President Garcia signed the budget which was submitted to the Congress of the Philippines, as mandated in the Constitution.

President Garcia directed Budget Commissioner Faustino SyChangco to provide budgetary support to government agencies to effectively implement his “Filipino First” policy. The President, through this policy, sought to level the playing field in business, commerce and industry thereby allowing more active participation of Filipino entrepreneurs, businessmen and labor in the face of well-entrenched foreign business interests.

President Garcia was a visionary, intellectually brilliant, a poet-philosopher with the gift of silver tongue and soon was widely known as the “Prince of Visayan Poets.” From his youth, he was committed to high standards of public service, self-reliance, nationalism and loyalty.

These gifts served Carlos P. Garcia well and aided his political career — representative of the third district of Bohol for two terms (1925-1931). governor of Bohol for two terms (1933-1941), senator for three terms (1941-1953), vice president (1953-1957) succeeding President Ramon Magsaysay as president after the unfortunate plane crash in 1957. He later won the presidency during the November elections of that year. He was the eighth President of the Philippines or the fourth of the Philippine Republic.

I served many Presidents after I left the military for the career executive service. Among other positions, I served as Budget Director and later as the first Commissioner, Commission on Audit, from where I retired, after 45 years of ublemished government service. To the best of my personal knowledge, President Carlos P. Garcia was a most exceptional man — of great talent yet humble, compassionate with high moral principles and firmly committed to the socio-economic development of his beloved country.

It was indeed a great honor and pleasure to have officially and personally served a Great Boholano, a most Distinguished Filipino. May the youth of today emulate President Garcia’s patriotism, self-reliant attitude and high standard of moral values.