Fidel Ramos, former Philippine president who overthrew dictatorship, dies
Former Philippine president Fidel Valdez Ramos, a US-trained ex-general who saw action.
In the Korean and Vietnam wars and played a key role in a 1986 pro-democracy uprising that ousted a dictator, died on Sunday. He was 94.
The cause of his death was not immediately clear, but one of his longtime companions, Norman Legazpi, told Associated Press that Ramos had been hospitalised intermittently for heart disease in recent years, suffering from dementia.
Some of Ramos’s relatives were with him when he died at the Makati Medical Centre in metropolitan Manila, Legaspi said, adding the family would issue a statement on his death later Sunday.
A son of a longtime legislator and foreign secretary, Ramos graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1950. He was a part of the Philippine combat contingent that fought in the Korean War and was also involved in the Vietnam War as a non-combat civil military engineer.
“He was an icon. We lost a hero and I lost a father,” said Legaspi, a retired Philippine air force official, who served as a key staff to Ramos for about 15 years.
Press secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles condoled with Ramos’ family. “He leaves behind a colourful legacy and a secure place in history for his participation in the great changes of our country, both as a military officer and chief executive,” she said in a statement.
The cigar-chomping Ramos, known for his visionary “win-win” outlook, attention to detail, a thumbs-up sign and firm handshake, served as president from 1992 to 1998, succeeding the democracy icon, Corazon Aquino. She was swept into the presidency in 1986 after an army-backed and largely peaceful “People Power” revolt toppled dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who was also a cousin of Ramos.
The uprising, which became a harbinger of change in authoritarian regimes worldwide, came after Ramos, the head of the Philippine Constabulary, and Defense Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile withdrew their support from Marcos following a failed coup.
Roman Catholic Cardinal Jaime Sin then summoned Filipinos to surround and shield the military and constabulary camps in the capital region where the defectors and their forces dug in, sparking crucial government defections that eventually drove Marcos, his family and cronies to US exile.
After Aquino rose to the presidency, Ramos became the military chief of staff and later defense secretary, successfully defending her from several violent coup attempts.
Ramos won the 1992 presidential election, becoming the first Protestant president of a predominantly Roman Catholic nation. His tenure was marked by sweeping reforms and attempts to dismantle telecommunications and other business monopolies, sparking a rare economic boom that enhanced the image of the impoverished Southeast Asian country, boosting its image as a business leader and international community, also, received praise from business leaders and the international community.
His calm bearing in times of crises earned him the moniker “Steady Eddie.”
Ramos is survived by his wife, Amelita “Ming” Ramos, a school official, pianist, sports and an environmental advocate, and their four daughters. Their second child, Josephine “Jo” Ramos-Samartino, passed away in 2011.