Government officials, diplomats, and lawmakers paid tribute to former President Fidel V. Ramos, who died Sunday at the age of 94 from complications arising from COVID-19.
Before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed his grief over the former leader’s passing, the Office of the Press Secretary expressed condolences to the family of Ramos, who served as the country’s 12th president from 1992 to 1998.
“It is with great sorrow that we learn of the passing of former President Fidel V. Ramos. He leaves behind a 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,” Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said.
“We deeply condole with his family, friends, classmates, and associates and keep him in our prayers.”
Former President Rodrigo Duterte late Sunday expressed “deep sadness” over the passing of his acknowledged “idol” and “number one critic.”
“I am one with his wife, Ming, his family, his friends, and the entire Filipino people in mourning the death of a great statesman, mentor, and friend,” Duterte said in a statement.
“As we grieve for his loss, let us honor his legacy of service and his significant contributions to the country. May God grant eternal repose on his soul and give strength and solace to all of his bereaved.”
The Philippine National Police (PNP) also mourned Ramos’ passing.
“The nation lost a great leader. We are one with our fellow countrymen in expressing our deepest condolences to the family of the former president,” Brig. Gen. Roderick Alba, PNP public information office chief, said in a statement.
Alba said Ramos—the former head of the Philippine Constabulary, the forerunner of the PNP—will be remembered for his “valuable contribution to improving the lives of the Filipinos.”
“More than being a military leader and a government official, he served as a good example to humanity through his incomparable wisdom and deeds,” he added.
The Department of National Defense—which Ramos headed before he became President—and the Department of Health also expressed their condolences.
“Serving as the Secretary of National Defense from 1988 to 1991, President Ramos was a staunch advocate for the modernization and professionalization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” DND officer-in-charge Jose Faustino Jr. said in a statement.
He said Ramos underscored the importance of building a strong military organization and promoting collaboration with different stakeholders to uphold the nation’s internal stability and security.
The DOH honored the late President “for all his service to our country and for uplifting the state of health of Filipinos,” noting Ramos’ “broad vision and dedication towards the health of all Filipinos.”
“It was during his term that landmark health laws such as the National Blood Services Act of 1994, Act for Salt Iodization Nationwide of 1995, and National Health Insurance Act of 1995 came into force,” the department statement said. “We thank the former President for laying the groundwork for progress towards universal health care.”
The European Union hailed Ramos as “a dedicated statesman and a friend of the EU, under whose term the EU-Philippines relations deepened.”
The EU described the late former president as “a pillar of democracy and peace-building and an icon of the EDSA power revolution.”
Lawmakers joined the nation and the Filipino people in paying tribute to the late president.
House Speaker Martin Romualdez mourned the loss of “a great leader and dear friend.”
“We, in the Lakas-CMD, are saddened to learn of the passing of our chairman emeritus, former president Fidel Valdez Ramos,” said Romualdez, who is president of the party.
“President Ramos will be remembered as one of the great Filipino leaders that took good governance to heart,” Romualdez said. “His experience as a military general and his innate charm set the blueprint for what Philippine leaders should be: Tough when necessary, but with a caring heart for the common Filipino.”
“FVR is a tough act to follow. His legacy will never be forgotten,” the Speaker said.
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri described the former president as “brilliant.”
“President Ramos was probably one of our brightest leaders, who always seemed a step ahead of everyone. Maybe it was his military background, but as a politician, he was always able to quickly assess the landscape, and formulate the best way forward through consultation and consensus,” Zubiri said.
“That was his legacy as President—he left behind a brand of democratic leadership that allowed for us to grow into the new Asian tiger of the nineties,” he added.
Zubiri also paid tribute to Ramos’s peace efforts in Mindanao, where he met with rebel groups and recognized their struggle and their freedom to pursue their cause.
Even well past his days in Malacañang, Ramos was committed to helping the country regain and maintain its status as a center of socio-economic progress.
“He never stopped being a brilliant and committed leader, and we are a poorer nation for his loss,” Zubiri said.
Senator Juan Edgardo Angara said many reforms were put in place during his presidency—the breakup of the telco monopoly, the resolution of the power crisis, and the beginning of the peace process with Muslim rebels.
Senator Jinggoy Estrada said under Ramos, the country enjoyed a period of political stability and massive economic growth.
He said Ramos’s legacy would include major peace agreements with Muslim separatists, communist insurgents, and military rebels that earned him and the country the coveted 1997 UNESCO Peace Prize.
He would also be remembered for the deregulation of key industries and liberalization of the economy; privatization of public entities including the modernization of public infrastructure through the expanded Build-Operate-Transfer Law; and a comprehensive social reform agenda that mostly benefited the poor and underprivileged members of the society.
Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva said Ramos will always be remembered for leading the nation into the new millennium.
His dream of turning the country into a “tiger economy” will always stay alive in the hearts of every Filipino, Villanueva added. “His iconic thumbs up sign and his ‘Kaya Natin’ mentality will continue to give us the inspiration to push for progress in our country.”
Sen. Nancy Binay said the nation has lost one of its leading lights, during whose term Filipinos lived “in a time of hope.”
“FVR oversaw massive economic gains for the country that were translated to programs for the welfare of the people,” she said, referring to Ramos by his initials.
Senator Loren Legarda described Ramos as an exemplary leader who did the country proud as the “captain of our ship of state.”
“I learned my complete staff work from him. He was a disciplined leader; he was able to unite various factions despite being a minority President upon his election. He was the first to bring forth the idea for me to run for the Senate, when I was 37 years old. I owe him much.
The Filipino people mourn his passing,” she said.
Senator Bong Revilla, co-chairman of Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, said it was Ramos who transformed the Philippines from being the “sick man of Asia to the tiger of the region.”
He said Ramos convinced him to join public service and invited him to Lakas-CMD.
“After some three decades, I continue to be with Lakas espousing its ideals,” he added.
He said he considered the late president as his first and true mentor.
Former Senate President Vicente Sotto III said he and Ramos were elected at the same time in 1992. “I was a witness to how he did his best to unify the country and people. Indeed, he served the country well,” Sotto said.
Senator Grace Poe described Ramos as “a steadfast leader and democracy icon.”
“His resolute vision paved the way for real economic gains that brought the Philippines to a rising tiger status,” she said.
Former senator Ralph Recto, now Batangas representative, also paid tribute to Ramos, his godparent at his wedding to actress-turned-politician Vilma Santos.
“President Ramos was brave in war, industrious in work, visionary in public service, and helpful to his fellowmen,” he said, adding that Ramos was the “Steady Eddie” who led by infectious and inspiring example from the trenches of Korea to the corridors of Malacanang.
“Whether in the battlefield or in the bureaucracy, he was daring in deeds and bold in thinking,” he said.
He was driven by this Protestant-Ilocano-West Point work ethic, which ingrained in him the habit of rising before dawn and toiling until midnight, Recto said.
“In all the offices he held, he was the first man in and the last man out of the office,” he added.
“FVR was our ninong sa kasal. Vi and I will miss him as do a nation and a people to whom he gave his all and his very best,” he said.
Dasmarinas City Rep. Elpidio Barzaga recalled Ramos’s skill in coalition building.
“We lost a great leader,” he said.
Albay Rep. Joey Salceda said Ramos was his mentor and model whose “untiring hands find their rest.”
“The former President helped birth my career in public service. During the peak of my career in the private sector as an analyst, President Ramos would consult me on matters of national concern. That was when I became convinced that I could serve the country in a greater way. Just as he was leaving office, I ran for congressman in Albay,” he said.