Marcos visits Fidel V. Ramos' wake

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. paid his last respects to former president Fidel V. Ramos, one of the key personalities of the 1986 People Power Revolution that ousted his father.

Marcos visited the wake of Ramos at the Heritage Memorial Park in Taguig City Thursday, the schedule for government officials, members of the late president's Cabinet and the Ramos Peace and Development Foundation Inc.

The president arrived at the memorial park at 10:23 a.m. and stayed there for about 30 minutes.

Speaking to reporters, Marcos praised Ramos for his service to the country and called him a "symbol of stability."

"I just reminded Mrs. (Amelita) Ramos of how FVR, when he became president, was a symbol of stability after all the tumultuous events of 1986. When he came into the presidency, he brought calm and he brought stability to our country," the president said.

"And for that, we will always be grateful to him and for all his service all throughout his life - as a soldier and as a public servant. And for that, we clearly have suffered a loss for our country. But the memories of him will be good because of all the good work he did for the Philippines," he added.

In a Facebook post, Marcos said Ramos' service to the nation would not be forgotten.

In 1986, Ramos, then the armed forces deputy chief of staff, and then defense minister Juan Ponce Enrile defected from Marcos' father and namesake, saying the election held that year was rigged so the former president can remain in power. Their defection is one of the events that sparked the historic People Power uprising that forced the Marcos family into exile and installed Corazon Aquino, widow of slain opposition leader Benigno Aquino Jr., to the presidency.

The president said he offered his condolences to Ramos' family through the former first lady.

"You also must remember that we are related to FVR and so... it is also a family event, the loss of FVR," he said.

Ramos was the second cousin of Marcos' father and the distant uncle of the president.

Ramos, the 12th president of the Philippines, died last Sunday at the age of 94. He will be accorded a state funeral with full military honors on August 9.

In a related development, Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles debunked social media posts claiming that August 9 would be declared a special non-working holiday in honor of Ramos.

"This is not true and there is no announcement or proclamation about it," Cruz-Angeles said in Filipino.