He told ANC (ABS-CBN News Channel) on Saturday that Ramos should not try to substitute his judgment with that of Mrs. Arroyo because "he is no longer president, he belongs to the past."
Pichay, a staunch ally of the Arroyo couple, was interviewed hours after the former president made his most critical and biting remarks in the same television station against the President.
ANC announced that it was trying to get Palace spokesmen to react to the former leader’s criticisms but that none of them was available. It instead reached Pichay.
Ramos said Mrs. Arroyo could have used the country’s laws, including a "higher law," Republic Act 6869, which created the new crime of coup d’etat, to deal with Friday’s events.
"This proclamation of a state of national emergency will do more damage (to the country) than any coup," he said.
"Why is everyone in Malacañang panicking? Look at the Palace, it looks like a fortress, where even media access has been restricted. Why can’t she (Mrs. Arroyo) be cool under fire like (former president) Cory Aquino?" he asked.
He said the proclamation has caused anxiety, jitters and uncertainty not only among Filipinos but foreign investors as well.
He also accused Mrs. Arroyo of "killing the spirit of Edsa, which is about patriotism, sacrifice, suffering."
He denounced the "beginnings of authoritarianism...you have CPR (calibrated preemptive response), EO (Executive Order) 464, and now this, PP (Presidential Proclamation) 1017."
He even criticized her style of governance, saying the President was "fond of using people as props" and of "photo op (opportunities), ribbon-cutting."
Pichay said it was unfair for Ramos to compare Mrs. Arroyo with him and Mrs. Aquino.
"Every president has his own style of governance," he said.
In the past, whenever Ramos criticized the President, Pichay and other Arroyo loyalists ganged up on the former leader. At one time, they even threatened to investigate the questionable power contracts that the Ramos administration entered into.
Two other Arroyo allies said yesterday the proclamation of a state of national emergency "is far from martial law."
"The opposition’s claim that Proclamation 1017 is a prelude to martial law is blatantly false and exaggerated. There is no curtailment of the people’s rights, including freedom of speech. The government has not stopped the opposition from airing their views, which are even given prominence in the media," said Representatives Monico Puentevella of Bacolod City and Edwin Uy of Isabela.
Though they asserted that the rights of the people, including journalists, are not being curtailed, the two urged Philippine National Police chief Director General Arturo Lomibao and Armed Forces chief Gen. Generoso Senga to make sure that their men do not abuse the enforcement of Proclamation 1017 and its accompanying general orders.
Opposition congressmen have complained about the "warrantless arrest" of Rep. Crispin Beltran of the party-list group Anakpawis, while journalists have denounced apparent attempts by Lomibao to gag them.
Other Arroyo allies expressed confidence that the administration would be able to justify the proclamation of a state of national emergency before the Supreme Court, where opposition lawmakers are set to question it today or tomorrow.
They urged the opposition not to resort to protest actions, which they said only hurt the economy, but to use legal forums to challenge the proclamation.