To be perfectly candid about it, I did not give much thought or attach special meaning to my last name. Having spent most of my growing and academic years in the United States, it was often terribly mispronounced and people seemed unimpressed by it. And to me, it was just a name, a standard form of identification prescribed by society to write down and with which people refer or address me. Having it as a last name did not win me favors from teachers, attract more friends, get me out of a tight situation, or even date girls I liked in school. There were no special treatments, and definitely no warm handshakes and greetings from strangers.

But my ordinary life took on an extraordinary turn upon my return to the Philippines in the early ’90s. The Magsaysay name, through my senator-father and by extension, to me, jolted me to realization as to its weight and impact to our history. This third generation Magsaysay, who had never met “The Guy”, learned to understand and appreciate after years of indifference, the value of his ancestry. I was given a gift so special, I take it with me wherever I go — my Lolo Monching’s name.

I have always felt a pang of regret by the knowledge that I grew up without a doting grandfather. But in many ways, my Lola Luz, dad, mom, and aunt made up for his absence, as they did not run out of amazing stories about him from which I derive pleasure, inspiration and life-long lessons. A sense of pride overwhelms me when I read of his achievements, and an even greater sense of gratitude whenever strangers come up to me to share an important event in their lives that involved my lolo. Today we celebrate his 100th birth anniversary, yet the memories he had left us were so vivid and alive, I can actually picture him blowing the candles on his birthday cake.

I am often tasked to represent my dad on occasions when he is tied up with legislative work in the Senate. In 2005, in the small town of Andong, Korea where a UNESCO gathering took place, I had to deliver a speech in front of hundreds of people from all over the world on the issue of achieving mutual understanding between countries and cultures, especially in Asia. I was anxious about speaking at first, but as soon as I started talking about President Magsaysay’s legacy of public service as embodied by the Ramon Magsaysay Award, I felt more at ease because the audience knew of this great man. They were actually familiar with his name, and even at that moment radiated their great respect for him.

As if that wasn’t enough of a shock, there was this incident during my visit there that had been memorable. My Korean tour guide from the local Jaycees, introduced me as the grandson of former President Ramon Magsaysay to an elderly group of Koreans who were prepping for a group picture. The next thing I knew, they all lined up to shake my hand. They also included me in their group picture!

A few years ago in Manila, I had the privilege of meeting the head of the IFC (International Finance Corporation). Mr. Azmat Taufique, an Indian national, told me he knew of my grandfather from reading about him in books as a child. Apparently, the Ramon Magsaysay Award is very much known in India, and he continued to talk about my grandfather and the impact the Award has in the past 50 years.

Lolo Monching’s lasting legacy to me is his good name, and no money or material possession can equal that. As a father myself, I say the same thing to my children. I think it is important to gain a meaningful perspective of one’s roots and family history to strengthen kinship; because closer ties mean healthy and lasting relationships.

I may not have known Lolo Monching, but his name told me everything there is to know about him which opened my eyes to certain ideals — the love of country and family, a solid integrity, devotion to work, and genuine concern and compassion for people.

Here’s to you, Lolo Monching! Happy 100th birthday!