TOMORROW THE nation commemorates the birth of Ramon Magsaysay, the third President of the Third Republic. Known for his simplicity and humility, Magsaysay was a living example of inspiring leadership and service to the people.

It was as a young high school student in 1950 that I first became aware of the man who would later be acclaimed as the ?Most Beloved President? of our Republic. In those days, my father was publisher and editor in chief of the Philippines Herald. Sometime in October 1950, Military Intelligence Service (MIS) agents swooped down on the newspaper premises and picked up a good number of its writers and executives. They turned out to be all high-ranking members of the Communist Politburo. This feat of military intelligence work under Magsaysay broke the back of the communist movement in the Philippines.

In the presidential elections of November 1953, Magsaysay would defeat Elpidio Quirino by a landslide, ushering in a new era of hope and confidence in the future of the country.

In their book, ?. . . So Help Us God? the Malaya brothers, Eduardo and Jonathan, describe the Magsaysay inaugural: ?The outgoing and incoming Presidents arrived at Rizal Park on board a Chrysler Imperial limousine, escorted by a sixty-man cavalry. In the rear seats were Elpidio Quirino, nattily dressed in a cream linen suit, with a white buntal hat, and his successor, Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay. The latter shunned the traditional cutaway suit and top hat, in favor of the once lowly Barong Tagalog?a first in inaugural history. His was embroidered with the Republic?s coat of arms.

?Their cozy demeanor masked the tension between them, from the recent electoral contest .... After receiving military honors, the two embraced and Don Elpidio departed for his country home in Novaliches and into political retirement. Meanwhile, Monching ascended the grandstand to the lusty cheers by a mammoth crowd estimated at between 300,000 and 500,000.

?Magsaysay infused the crowd with optimism and hope of better times. ?I have been warned that too much is expected of this administration, that our people expect the impossible. For this young and vigorous nation of ours, nothing is really impossible.? The former shop superintendent who once admitted to be ?not a man of words? wowed the crowd. The man who preferred Tagalog or Ilocano, to English, made an emotional connection with his fellow Filipinos.

?For the first time in Philippine history, there was an affinity between the leader and the led.?

On a personal note, let me mention that my father was a strong supporter of Elpidio Quirino and when Quirino was no longer in power, I could sense that old friends started to drift away. In a letter he wrote to me at the Philippine Military Academy, he explained that ?when a tree has fallen, people look elsewhere for shade against the heat of the sun.?

Despite their political differences, Ramon Magsaysay would appoint my father the country?s first commissioner of tourism.

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The Monday-morning quarterbacks are out in full force, dissecting bit by bit the actions that took place a week ago at the Quirino Grandstand. They have their own versions of what should have been done, or why things got out of control, resulting in the death of people who were here to see our country and enjoy the hospitality of our people.

There is not much that I can add that could possibly shed more light on the drama that was covered by CNN, BBC and other networks for the benefit of a worldwide audience.

Nevertheless, let me make a few observations of my own.

Perhaps the most pitiful sight during the entire shameful event was that of a SWAT member wearing a baseball cap turned backwards with a pistol in hand, crouching beside the bus. During anniversary celebrations of the police, SWAT teams in full battle gear, flak jackets with long firearms, their faces marked with dark paint, were always an impressive part of the parade program. What happened?

My other concern is a bit more troubling. Supposing that ballistic exams will show that some of the victims were killed by ?friendly fire?? It would indicate that our SWAT men were firing indiscriminately, considering that they had only one target to contend with.

It is time to consider firing one or two high-ranking personalities and I don?t mean regional police directors and their subordinates. In olden times, human beings were sacrificed to appease the gods for any event that may have displeased them, or brought shame to the community. This is the same principle applied by our neighbors in Japan and South Korea where ranking officials are routinely sacked for command responsibility in any national tragedy or disaster.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse M. Robredo has to go.

Now, I realize that Robredo is a Ramon Magsaysay awardee for Government Service and that he has been one of the more popular choices for a position in President Aquino?s cabinet. Precisely because of his stature and prestige, it would send a clear signal that no one in government is indispensable, and that we must take responsibility for what happens in our areas of concern. If we are to regain the respect and confidence of the international community, this singular act will go a long way towards attaining this objective.

In the wake of the Flor Contemplacion case in Singapore in 1995, President Fidel Ramos sacked two Cabinet members, Foreign Secretary Roberto Romulo and Labor Secretary Nieves Confesor.

Philippine National Police chief Jesus Verzosa must be held responsible for the incompetence of the men under his command?just as I have advocated in the past the sacking of AFP senior officials for certain errors and lapses in judgment under the principle of command responsibility, I believe Jess Verzosa himself is aware that the buck stops at his desk, and that his departure will allow a new leadership to bring about necessary changes and reforms in the organization.

The sooner these actions are undertaken, the better for the country.

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Last Monday, just as the hostage crisis was unfolding, a miracle took place at Hole No. 8 of the Philippine Navy Golf Course in Jose Francisco Naval Station.

Lawyer Renato Francisco, son of Commodore Jose Francisco, after whom the facility is named, scored his fourth hole-in-one in the company of Augustus Paiso, Reynaldo Reyes and Monrey Mapa.

Using a No. 5 Callaway wood and a Super Newing golf ball, Francisco sent his tee shot rolling into the hole 150 yards away after it appeared to be heading for one of the sand bunkers surrounding the green.

Congratulations!