Ramon Delaraga Bagatsing Sr. (August 19, 1916 – February 14, 2006) was a Filipino politician. He was the only Filipino of Indian ancestry and person with disability (an amputee) who served as 19th Mayor of Manila from 1971 to 1986. Bagatsing held the unique distinction of being the only person to survive both the Bataan Death March and the Plaza Miranda bombing in 1971. He was a military hero for the Liberation of Manila during the Second World War, and was a founding chairman of the Philippine Anti-Communist League under the Asian Peoples' Anti-Communist League (APACL).
Before occupying the city's highest office, Bagatsing served as a representative to Congress for Manila, member of Cabinet, lawyer, lay minister, and policeman. He earned the moniker "The Incorruptible" for his clean record in public service and for his unwavering anti-graft and corruption stance.
Early life and military career Bagatsing was born on August 19, 1916, in Fabrica, Sagay, to an ethnic Filipino mother Dionisia Delaraga and Amado Bagatsing, a Punjabi immigrant from British India.Farewell to former Manila Mayor Dr. Ramon D. Bagatsing: A civic leader, war veteran, lawyer, business executive, religious lay leader, and legislator His father, originally named Mataram Siṅgh Baṅgā (), had arrived after the bloody effects of British rule and who, later inspired by the deeds of famous Indian revolutionary Bhagat Siṅgh, founded the Manila chapter of the Indian Ghadar Party. Thereafter, he changed his name to Amado Bhagat Siṅgh (), of which the Hiligaynon form Bagatsing has since become the standard spelling for the Philippine branch of the family.The strange case of Filipino Bhagat Singhs, The Times of India, Published March 21, 2015 The young Ramon worked as a bus conductor, night watchman, and security guard to augment his basic and school expenses. To escape the hardships of poverty, he left his home province for Manila. Bagatsing began his stint as a patrolman with the Manila Police Department from 1939 to 1941.
When the Second World War broke out in 1941, he enlisted with the United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE). He began as a first sergeant from 1941 to 1943, was promoted to first lieutenant in 1944, then to captain in 1945, and major in 1946. He is a survivor of the Bataan Death March, where he was able to escape from soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army.Farewell to former Manila Mayor Dr. Ramon D. Bagatsing: A civic leader, war veteran, lawyer, business executive, religious lay leader, and legislator
For his military service, Bagatsing was awarded the American Defense Ribbon, the Philippine Defense Ribbon, the Philippine Liberation Medal, the Asia-Pacific Campaign Medal and the Plaque of the Silver Kris of the Philippine Veterans Federation. He was National Commander of the Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor and a member of the Philippine Veterans Legion, American Legion and American Disabled Veterans.
Corporate and political life With the war over, he continued his law studies while working as the driver of the company bus of Elizalde & Co. From 1947 to 1957, he climbed the corporate ladder to become the company's Public Relations and Personnel Manager, and during the same period, passed the bar examinations and became a lawyer. He was also a bank safe and home safety box salesman.
Bagatsing first entered public service in the 1957 elections when his province mate, then-presidential candidate and former Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines José Yulo, convinced him to run for Congress in Manila's then third district of Sampaloc, Santa Mesa (then part of Sampaloc), and San Miguel. He was elected Congressman for the first time and became chairman of the House Veterans Committee. He was re-elected in 1961 and held the chairmanship of the powerful Justice Committee. As a legislator, Bagatsing authored several laws, such as the Philippine Veterans Act, the National Stud Farm Law, the laws creating the Bureau of Immigration, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, the National Defense College of the Philippines and the Eulogio "Amang" Rodríguez Institute of Science and Technology, among others.
After his second term, he joined the Cabinet, becoming the country's chief graft-buster as Head of the Presidential Agency on Reforms and Government Operations (PARGO) from 1967 to 1969. During his stint at PARGO, Bagatsing was dubbed by the Philippine Free Press as "The Incorruptible" for his prosecution of several high-profile corruption cases against prominent and high-ranking officials, including the conviction and expulsion of a city mayor for graft.
In 1969, he ran again for his old congressional seat in Manila and was overwhelmingly elected to a third term. During his ten years, or three terms, in the Philippine House of Representatives, Bagatsing was consistently awarded and included in the lists of the country's "Ten Most Outstanding Congressmen" and "The 10 Most Useful Legislators of the Republic". He was a leading reformer and a relentless crusader against the spread of communism in the Asia-Pacific region of the world as the founding chairman of the Philippine Anti-Communist League.
Plaza Miranda bombing; Mayor of Manila Bagatsing was one of the survivors of the Plaza Miranda bombing on August 21, 1971, which was at that time considered one of the bloodiest political massacres in Philippine history. Nine were killed and almost a hundred more—including Bagatsing—were wounded after two grenades were thrown on the stage by still-unknown assailants. The public rally was meant to be Bagatsing's official proclamation as mayoral candidate for Manila of the opposition Liberal Party. He was among the three most critically injured, along with Senators Jovito Salonga and Sergio Osmeña, Jr., who nearly lost their lives as they were front and center on the elevated platform, which was the epicenter of the bomb blast. Others who were also hurt included prominent Philippine politicians such as Gerardo Roxas, Eva Estrada-Kalaw, Genaro Magsaysay, Ramon Mitra Jr., Eddie Ilarde, Salipada Pendatun, Roberto Oca Jr. and John Osmeña.
Bagatsing was briefly clinically dead until he was revived by emergency medical staff in the hospital, being confined for almost three months while undergoing numerous delicate operations. Shrapnel fragments damaged Bagatsing's lower abdomen, right arm, and right cheek bone, and Bagatsing's leg was amputated, badly damaging also his abdomen, right cheek bone and right arm. His wife, Juanita, was also hurt in the blast, with shrapnel embedding her stomach, thighs, and hands. This became a rallying point that galvanized support for their party and their electoral campaign.
In the 1971 local elections, Bagatsing defeated incumbent Mayor Antonio Villegas for the mayoralty of the City of Manila. After winning the mayoralty, he left his congressional seat vacant until Congress was abolished by the declaration of martial law in the Philippines. Early in his fifteen-year term, he established the first Barangay Bureau in the Philippines, creating the blueprint for the barangay (village) system as the basic socio-political unit for Manila. This was quickly replicated by the national government and still survives to this day. He also set up the Manila Youth Bureau and the Tourism Office of Manila, which was a first for any local government.
Bagatsing then spearheaded the awarding of land titles to many of the city's indigent landless families, further endearing him to the poor, who were all grateful and glad to have the achievement of finally owning the land of their homes. He also established several multi-sectoral cooperatives especially benefiting the vendors in the city's public markets, providing vital financial assistance and livelihood opportunities for Manila's less fortunate citizens.
Many schools, educational institutions, hospitals, health centers, public markets, daycare centers, roads and public parks were built and developed in his incumbency, among them, the Ospital ng Sampaloc, the College of Medicine Building of PLM or the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, the Plaza Noli, the Rajah Sulayman Plaza, the bigger Manila Public Library, the Dapitan Sports Complex, Tondo High School and other public schools. Bagatsing, an early environmentalist, embarked on a massive citywide tree planting program, personally planting, even watering, most of the trees in and around the Manila City Hall and across the entire stretch of España Boulevard, as well as, the coconut trees on the famous bay-walk of Roxas Boulevard along Manila Bay.
Before the life-threatening injuries he sustained in the Plaza Miranda tragedy, Bagatsing was an avid sportsman and created the Manila Sports Council, the city's grassroots sports development office. The Anak ng Maynilà (Child of Manila) Youth Leadership Training Program, which was a self-help seminar and spiritual improvement retreat, regularly held in the nearby rural, coastal and mountain areas of Cavite, Batangas and Alabang, was also implemented by Bagatsing, as the multitudes of Manila's young, the children and students, especially the disadvantaged, would always look forward, with eager anticipation and excitement, to be part of this worthwhile endeavor. Bagatsing also made sure to take good care of the welfare of the city's workers and public school teachers by increasing their salaries, wages and benefits. It was also in 1973 when Bagatsing established the Manila Barangay Bureau which recognized and institutionalized the barangay (village) as the basic political unit, this was an administrative first in local governance which enabled basic services to be delivered at the grassroots level. The establishment of the "barangay" was so innovative that then President Marcos adopted it and rolled it out nationwide. This achievement is immortalized and recognized in the historical marker under Bagatsing's portrait at the Manila City hall.
The City of Manila was at the height of its stature during most of Bagatsing's leadership as Makati and Quezon City were still largely undeveloped. It was during this time that Manila, once again, became the capital city of the Philippines, through an executive order by then President Ferdinand Marcos, and evolved to be the center of the country's cultural scene with the advent of the so-called disco-craze and the popular Manila Sound, while classic films from the period such as Manila in the Claws of Light and Manila by Night highlighted the economic inequality present in the city.
It was also during this period that Manila gained further prominence in the international spectrum, becoming the first city in Asia to host the Miss Universe 1974 pageant that saw Spanish beauty Amparo Muñoz win the title, crowned by Filipina Margarita Moran, Miss Universe 1973. Just days prior to the main event, in order to emphasize and promote the core essence of the Miss Universe movement's advocacy, cause, and purpose, Bagatsing had organised a local festival featuring a splendid procession of select pageant candidates parading around and throughout Manila's inner-streets, communities, and barangays, with the aim of bringing closer together the foreign international beauties and the city's common folk. A pioneer, Bagatsing was among the first City Mayors to establish a Manila Tourism bureau.
The following year, adding to its global acclaim, the city's name became renowned in the sporting world due to the Thrilla in Manila between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. The legendary match was actually held at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, but the promoters decided to highlight the City of Manila, with Ali enjoying his stay at the historic Manila Hotel, often jogging around the boulevards of Manila, mingling and interacting with the locals. Because of this, Bagatsing gladly provided Ali with a rather large security detail and even accompanied the American boxer to some of his training sessions.