After World War II, the Philippines emerged as the most powerful nation in the greater Asian region. Upon earning its independence from Japanese occupation and American hegemony, the Third Philippine Republic rapidly transitioned from recovery from war and national identity turmoil to rapid growth and regional leadership under Ramon Magsaysay. The Seventh President of the Philippines’ policies are characterized by both boldness and compassion by judiciously moving forward with a vision while tempering with understanding the complexities of dynamic change in a world of stable chaos. In 1956, President Magsaysay worked with Japanese Prime Minister Hatoyama to finally resolve the issue of Japanese reparations to the Philippines for eight hundred million dollars. With the eleven-year issue’s final chapter finally written, history credits President writing the first chapter in rebuilding the new relationship between the Philippines and Japan into what is now one of the strongest economic and political cooperative relationships in the 21st century. As Filipino-Americans today, we must honor the diligence of our generational ancestors by understanding our relationship with our grandparents and taking on the flame of the torch they lit with the descendants of not just Americans and Japanese, but the world. Filipino-Americans of today must carry that torch and discover the next great partnership or relationship to become the quintessential models of growth through resolve. In 1950, As Secretary of National Defense, Secretary Magsaysay (as a former guerilla rebel resisting against the Imperial Japanese occupying force) utilized tactical empathy as a form of effectively subduing the growing communist threat in the Philippines. Rather than solve the issue in a heavy-handed way, his strategy acknowledged the economic motivations of the impoverished and rural countrymen and identified that the solution would not be found militarily or politically, but with humanity. Under his direction, the Philippine Army distributed humanitarian aid and economic relief packages to these more impoverished and distant populations. By turning to compassion and empathy instead of munitions and armament, Ramon Magsaysay transformed the perception of the military from oppressors no different than their previous Japanese occupiers to honorable and admirable protectors of Filipino excellence. As Filipino-Americans today, we must remember to take on this example and utilize our nature to be studious and diligent toward also learning about and truly understanding the people that we disagree with. In doing so, the Filipino-American community will be the brokers of peace between formerly-intransigent parties, all while discovering that what ties our community with others is our humanity. The Philippines under Ramon Magsaysay has been written about as “The Philippines’ Golden Years” for a good reason: When you lead with boldness and compassion, you find that not only do they find each other in perfect balance with one another, but also, they represent the stable chaos of humanity. Where there is despair and turmoil, there is character and resolve. Where there is disagreement, there is empathy. Where there is unity, there is strength.