Ramon “Jun” Magsaysay Jr. is the son of former president Ramon Magsaysay.  Unlike other politicians, he had a lengthy experience government as congressman of Zambales (1966 to 1969), and former senator (1995 to 2007), as well as work in the private sector as an Agri-Entrepreneur.  He is vying for a senatorial spot in the upcoming elections on May 13, 2013.

If that resume isn’t enough for you, Magsaysay, Jr. has a mechanical engineering degree from De La Salle and also studied business management in Harvard and New York University.

Jun Magsaysay is known to have a good track record, competent & decisive, and a man of integrity.  I’ve a met a lot of politicians in the past but when I met senator Jun Magsaysay for the first time, I was completely starstruck!

Our country badly needs reform.  The Philippines BADLY needs senators who will make a good difference, who loves the country genuinely, and who will perform the duties without personal vendetta or agenda.  We need a senator who has proved himself/herself that he/she has the right qualities to assume the important senatorial position.

I believe Jun Magsaysay has proven in the past that he performs his duty without personal vendetta or agenda, who loves our country, and truly will do right as Senator.

What has he done?

He passed and authored the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act, the AFMA Law and Anti-Money Laundering Act.

Ramon Magsaysay Jr. is the principal author of Republic Act 8792 or the Electronic Commerce Act of 2000.  The E-Commerce Law provides legal recognition of electronic documents, contracts and digital signatures.  It effectively reduces red tape.  And don’t you think this is the basis for our thriving business process outsourcing industry in the country, which currently employs some 770,000?  So yes, he legislates, and creates jobs!

What other job creation has he done?

Well, Jun Magsaysay is considered the pioneer of Philippine Cable industry.  When he’s not a politician, Jun Magsaysay successfully started Dairy Farm.  So he really does know how to be an entrepreneur.  He has turned it over to his son, Paco while he’s busy campaigning for re-election.

If you want to know more about Jun Magsaysay and his advocacies, read on.  Listed below are issues where the good former senator shared his thoughts on.  I got the data from various press releases Ramon Magsaysay Jr.’s team sent out.

On Encouraging Investors

The government should institute a continuing policy to reduce the bureaucratic red tape that drives away investors and carry out a blueprint that makes doing business in the Philippines easier.

One way of simplifying doing business is legislating one-stop shop in all local government units, where all mandatory permits needed to register an enterprise would be placed in one location so that entrepreneurs would not go through the rigorous process of transferring from one office to another.

According to Jun Magsaysay, there are some Local Government Units that have setup one-stop shops for business registration.  I agree with Jun Magsaysay that one-stop shop should be a model for all. After all, 90% of business in the country is made up of Small and Medium Enterprises. A friendlier, more simplified business climate can encourage even more, don’t you think?

On Seeking Service Corps of Retired Executives

Jun Magsaysay also calls on the business community to help build a Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE).  The idea, according to Magsaysay, is patterned after those in the United States and Singapore. This non-profit group, he says should provide free counseling and advice as a portal for sustainable development of Small and Medium Enterprises.

On Needing More Caring, Friendlier OFW Guidelines

“We should make our policy guidelines more OFW-friendly.  They should be accessible and not impose too much requirements on our Filipino workers so that seeking assistance from the Philippine Embassy would not be very difficult for our OFWs.  We must also set the guidelines on the proper decorum that our representatives abroad should observe and follow in dealing with our Kababayans abroad”.

The Foreign Affairs department must a devise a tool to assist undocumented Filipino workers.  The DFA should be the embodiment that the government is ‘for the people, by the people, and of the people’.

On Barangay Health Workers

Jun Magsaysay really recognizes people.  He cares so much that according to his campaign, Magsaysay wants to “increase the monthly allowance of barangay health workers (BHWs) on a level that is realistic and fairly decent, given rising food costs and standard of living.”

Jun said that, “these BHWs receive a basic monthly honorarium ranging from Php 200 to Php 1,000, which is not enough to support one’s self, let alone a family of three.”

Everyone knows that the cost of living is always on the rise and they can barely make ends meet!  And how many are these people?  There are over 400,000 Barangay Health Workers, nationwide!

On Divorce and Civil Annulment

Jun Magsaysay is a family man.  He believes that instead of legislating divorce, Congress should improve the Family Code provision on Civil Annulment, which is the Philippines’ version of divorce.”

According to the statistics that Magsaysay relieved, the cost for annulment is around Php 300,000 pesos. He believes that the Senate should review the law and propose to bring down the cost to PHP20,000 or PHP30,000.  The senator added that after years of trying to make a marriage work, there should be more reasons other than “psychological incapacity” for annulment, like women  seeking protection from physical, mental and sexual abuse. Children too.

On Empowering Persons with Disabilities (PWDs)

On Making Science, Technology, English and Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) More Fun

Jun Magsaysay’s commitment to education also includes emphasis “in teaching Science, Technology, English and Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects.”  As a former chairman of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, he has grave concern that “Filipino students nowadays are not too keen on taking classes on the subjects of Science, Technology, English, Engineering and math.”

Jun Magsaysay has expressed optimism for the implementation of K12. He thinks it “would be a good support to strengthen the education’s major curriculum both in public and private schools, which are Science, Technology, English or Engineering and Math.”

On developing ‘Organic’ Agriculture

As an Agri-Entrepreneur, Ramon “Jun” Magsaysay Jr. wants to bring that passion into the Senate.  He is for aggressively “promoting organic agriculture in the country and help farmers develop more organic farming areas as the country opens its doors to other Southeast Asian nations by 2015.”

On Vouchers for Farmers

In line with his agriculture entrepreneurship experience, Jun Magsaysay if elected would be reviving his proposal for the distribution of vouchers for famers.  He believes that farmers can use this to boost agriculture production, and to learn modern agricultural technologies.  He would fine the measure to “institutionalise assistance to farmers through a voucher system“ when he gets elected in the Senate.

On hiring OJTs this summer

Magsaysay believes that “The government should take the lead in providing jobs even to our youths, including students from junior high schools and colleges.“

According to his campaign, A National Statistics Office (NSO) survey disclosed that the percentage rate of jobless Filipinos remained at 7.1 percent or 2.894 million as of January this year, as against the 7.2 percent or 2.892 million Filipinos who do not have jobs in January 2012.

Magsaysay said that “providing summer jobs to students is tantamount to giving them two full months of worry-free on-the-job training.  Trainings with allowances for students in the office, especially those taking up technical and mechanical courses, and even familiarization with clerical works, would add up to the competitiveness and skills of students, particularly those coming from the lower economic class.”

On Mindanao

Jun Magsaysay wants a long term solution for Mindanao.  And how does he propose to do that?

He believes that a “comprehensive agriculture-based economic program to alleviate their living condition” is the answer.  Part of the agri-economic plan, he disclosed: seed money or capital for farmers, fertilizers, irrigation, farm to market feeder roads, strengthening of rural banks and cooperatives, warehouses for storage of harvested and milled rice.

Blogwatch Interview with Ramon Magsaysay Jr.

The Blogwatch Team had a good opportunity to meet the good former senator.  It proved further my instinct that we need someone like Jun Magsaysay in the Philippine senate.  Ever since then, I’ve been actively convincing friends to include him in their ballots.  We only have a few good senatoriables in this election, please ensure that to give them your votes.

We’ve talked about agriculture, education, health, senior citizen, divorce, and business during the interview.  I got the same answers as what was indicated in the press releases.  Listening to him explain his platform and see first hand how passionate he is, I’m truly convinced that we need Ramon “Jun” Magsaysay Jr. back in the senate.

If you worry about him being a senior citizen, fret not, as he assured us that he wouldn’t have ran if he is not in a good health condition.  Watch the videos to see the recorded interview we had with the senatoriable several weeks ago.

If I have to choose only one candidate among all senatoriables, it will be Ramon “Jun” Magsaysay, Jr. because he is our guy!  Please cast a vote for him on May 13, 2013!