Philippine sports has many reasons to thank the late President Ramon Magsaysay for.

For one, RM, “The Guy,” or “The Man of the Masses,” as he was fondly called by the Filipinos, whose 110th birth anniversary the country is celebrating today, presided over the country’s hosting of the Second Asian Games where the Filipino athletes ended up second to then powerhouse Japan in the race for the overall championship with a 14-14-17 gold-silver-bronze harvest.