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Ramon Magsaysay flew whenever he could, at any time and in any weather. He shrugged off protests impatiently; any other way wasted time, and he was a man in a hurry. Last Saturday Magsaysay flew down to Cebu. He talked at three universities, to the local war veterans, to the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. Then he decided to fly back to Manila that night.
After the crash, the Cabinet hurriedly summoned Vice President Carlos Garcia home from Australia, where he has been attending the SEATO Conference. A nondescript politician forced on Magsaysay by the Nationalists, Garcia is unlikely to be more than a caretaker until the presidential elections, to be held this fall. Just who that successor will be, no one can predict. Magsaysay so completely dominated Philippine politics and affections that in all likelihood he would have been nominated by both parties. There was no one like him —a man in whom Filipinos saw their best, just as he always saw the best in them.