SAGUDAY, Quirino—The former President Fidel V. Ramos passed away at age 94 last Sunday, July 31, 2022 at Makati Medical Center, the Ramos family announced. The cause of death is still unclear.
The Ramos family gave no details concerning the cause of his death. One of his longtime aides, Norman Legaspi, told the Associated Press that Ramos had been in and out of the hospital in recent years due to a heart condition and had suffered from dementia. Legaspi was a retired Philippine air force official who served as key staff to Ramos for about 15 years.
Ramos was the 12th President of the Philippines, succeeding Corazon Aquino in 1992 and succeeded by Joseph Estrada in 1998. Prior to presidency, Ramos was chief of the Philippine Constabulary and then vice chief of staff of the armed forces during the term of Ferdinand Marcos, Sr. Ramos was also the military chief of staff and later defense secretary under Aquino.
Ramos was hailed as one of the heroes of the 1986 People Power Revolution, after he broke away from the Marcos regime and aligned himself with the newly established government of his rival, Aquino. His defection, as well as that of the then defense secretary Juan Ponce Enrile, sparked a series of defections by other government officials and the popular uprising which ended the long rule of Marcos.
Ramos’ presidency was considered a period of peace, stability, and growth. It was during his time that the Philippines was recognized as an emerging “tiger economy.”
His six-year administration opened the country’s economy to foreign investment through deregulation and liberalization policies. Poverty rates also fell from 39% to 31% through his social reform agenda.
Ramos held peace talks with various “Enemies of the State.” He signed a peace deal with the Moro National Liberation Front in 1996 and succeeded in reducing the strength of Maoist-led guerillas to 5,400 from around 25,000 in 1986.
The wake for former president Ramos will officially commence on Thursday, August 4, at Heritage Park, Taguig. His remains will be laid to rest at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, 10 o’clock in the morning of August 9.
