PHILIPPINES: MANILA: RESPECTS PAID TO FORMER PRESIDENT MACAPAGAL

(28 Apr 1997) Tagalog/Nat The people of the Philippines have paid their last respects to former president Diosdado Macapagal who died last week. Macapagal introduced the first tentative land reforms during his term of office, before he was displaced by Ferdinand Marcos. Former president Diosdado Macapagal was given a hero's funeral in Manila, with Honour Guards escorting the coffin to the Heroes' Memorial Cemetery. Macapagal was the Philippines fifth President, before his defeat in 1965 by Ferdinand Marcos. He is the father of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, a prominent senator who is seen as a possible candidate in next year's presidential election. Macapagal will be remembered for introducing the first tentative land reform law in the country. In 1963, his government passed a land reform act that sought to abolish the class of landless peasants. However inadequate appropriations and opposition from landlords defeated the measures and produced little change. Now, as he was laid to rest, many came to pay their last respects. Most were fellow citizens from Lubao, Pampanga province. They have good memories of him and say that he did a fine job when he was president. SOUNDBITE: (Tagalog) "When he became President, he didn't do anything bad to our hometown, and also in other areas (in the country), we don't know of anything which he did wrong. Macapagal is a good man." SUPER CAPTION: Marcial Dionisio, mourner Macapagal first won election to the House of Representatives in 1949, standing for office in his home province of Pampanga - the area later devastated by the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo. In 1957, he became vice president in the administration of Carlos P. Garcia, whom he later defeated in presidential elections. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...