Fidel V. Ramos, Philippines' 12th president, 94
MANILA, Philippines (Update 3: August 1, 11:10 a.m.) — Former President Fidel V. Ramos has died, according to reports, including from state media.
The Ramos family has yet to give a statement on the passing of their patriarch and has not yet disclosed the reason for his passing.
Associated Press quoted one of Ramos’ longtime aides, Norman Legaspi, as saying that the former president has been going in and out of the hospital in the past years “due to a heart condition and had suffered from dementia.”
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has extended his condolences to the bereaved of Ramos, whom he said “lived a full life as a military officer and a public servant.”
“We did not only lose a good leader but also a member of the family… The legacy of his presidency will always be cherished and will be forever enshrined in the hearts of our grateful nation,” he added.
Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said in a Palace statement on Sunday meanwhile remembered Ramos for the ”colorful legacy and a secure place in history for his participation in the great changes of our country, both as military officer and chief executive" that he left behind.
Ramos was chairman emeritus of the Lakas-CMD, the party he helped found in 1991 and that has seen a resurgence after the May elections.
Sen. Bong Revilla, co-chairman of the party, said it was Ramos who convinced him to join politics and was his mentor when elected Cavite vice governor in 1995.
"Up to this day, FVR is an inspiration and an example I greatly look up to," he said.
"His legacy is the foundation upon which later administrations have built upon. He transformed the Philippines from being the sick man of Asia to the Tiger of the Region," Revilla also said.
Born in Lingayen, Pangasinan, Ramos turned 94 in March. An online presidential library and a book about key events in his presidency from 1992-1998 were launched to mark his birth anniversary.
The former president was not in attendance at Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s State of the Nation Address earlier this month and was not among the former chief executives whom Marcos mentioned at the beginning of his speech to Congress.
Ramos is the 12th president of the country and succeeded Corazon Aquino, whom he served as military chief and then as defense secretary, in 1992.
He was previously the Armed Forces of the Philippines vice chief of staff and was one of the leaders of the EDSA People Power Revolution in 1986.
Ramos attended the US Military Academy at West Point and graduated in 1950. He was a member of the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea and saw combat during the Korean War with the Army's 20th Battalion Combat Team.
He was also a civil engineer by profession and earned a master’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois in 1951.
The former president also earned a master’s degree in National Security Administration from National Defense College of the Philippines in 1969 and a master's in Business Administration from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1980.
The former president released a book titled "Silver Linings: The Continuing Saga of the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution" in February 2019.
- Latest
- Trending
