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Come One, Come All. At Malacanan Palace, the presidential residence, Magsaysay ordered the gates thrown open to all comers. Invitations for an official lunch had been issued to 50; the palace staff had prudently prepared for 200 guests; 5,000 showed up. In an atmosphere reminiscent of Andrew Jackson's inaugural at Washington in 1829, unbidden guests pressed ten deep around Magsaysay's table, watched every mouthful as it disappeared into the presidential mouth. A half dozen strangers sat down at the First Lady's table. Still others surged around a heaped buffet which in five minutes stood bare as Mother Hubbard's cupboard.
By next morning, word had flashed through Manila that Magsaysay was keeping open house. People flocked to the palace. Whole families picnicked on the flower beds; kids shied pop bottle caps at shimmering chandeliers inside the palace; mothers nursed their babies on satin-covered furniture in the drawing rooms. Still racked with fever, the President stood by shaking hand after hand until aides whisked him off to the presidential yacht in Manila Harbor for a breath of air. Police estimated that 50,000 people had come to Malacanan Palace during the two days. Said one newsman: "The Communist leader Taruc used to brag that if the people would follow him, he would bring them to Malacanan. It looks as though Magsaysay has done it first."
No Time for Commas. Meanwhile, the new President had begun to perform the chores of his new office with characteristic whirlwind energy—swearing in new Cabinet ministers (mostly old pols), mobilizing advisers both American and Filipino (a much higher grade of men) and firing orders like a drill sergeant.
Magsaysay got to work by 5 a.m., and told his Cabinet he expected them to work 20 hours a day when necessary. He announced that Malacanan would henceforth be known as the "official residence," not the palace; he would be called Mister, not Excellency; and he and all top officials would immediately publish a full statement of their assets. (His own: $13,179.) He set up a "Complaints and Action Commission." He dictated an executive order that complaint telegrams may be sent for 10 centavos, or free should that be too much for a poor man to pay. He wanted to sign it right away, and when told a draft would have to be drawn up, exploded: "Dammit, the people's problems won't wait for commas!"
"Get the Carpenters." He still flaunted his U.S. connections, and brushed aside all talk of a cut in U.S. aid with the sim ple protest, "But we've got to fix up the Philippines. After that," he added,"we can invite people over here from Indonesia and places like that and say, 'See what our American friends have helped us to do.' Then we can show them that we're not just an American puppet."
On the presidential yacht two days after the inauguration, he wiped out the Philippines Marine Corps with one casual remark to Corps Commander Commodore Jose Francisco. "Commodore," he said, "I'm going to convert your marines into an engineer battalion. I want them to learn how to install irrigation pumps and pipes and go out and help people in the barrios. Let's start with San Luis, that's Taruc's home town. Let's go in there and make that a real model village."