President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared national days of mourning and ordered all government facilities across the country and abroad to fly the flag at half-staff in honor of former President Fidel V. Ramos, who helped oust his father 36 years ago.
“The death of Fidel V. Ramos, the 12th president of the Philippines is a great loss to our country and the Filipino people,” Marcos said in his proclamation declaring July 31 to Aug. 9 national days of mourning.
“It is fitting to devote a period of national mourning to pay tribute to an esteemed leader who has dedicated his life to public service and has left a lasting mark on our country,” he added.
Ramos and Marcoses are distant relatives, Marcos Sr.’s grandfather and Ramos’s grandmother were siblings making Marcos Jr.’ his “distant nephew” and relative.
Marcos also offered his condolences to the family of “Steady Eddie” as he was called, who passed away at the age of 94.
Ramos served as the Vice Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and handled the Philippine Constabulary under the incumbency of the late Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and later on as chief of staff under the Cory Aquino administration before entering into politics and winning the 1992 presidential elections.
The Ramos family has yet to release the dates when the body of the former chief executive will be available for public viewing and when he will be laid to rest.
The Supreme Court also ordered that the Philippine flag in all courthouses nationwide be flown at half-staff “to honor the memory and recognize the services” of the former president.
In a statement, the SC said Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo and all justices, judges, and court personnel mourn the passing of President Ramos.
“President Ramos was a true defender of freedom and democracy who had shown courage and loyalty to the country with his years in public service, including as a veteran of significant military campaigns,” the Court said.
“He was also a visionary President, who set out important social and economic reforms which Filipinos enjoy even up to this time,” it added.
“In addition, we in the Judiciary will always remember President Ramos as a proponent of justice and judicial reform. During his presidency, he consistently pledged his support to the Judiciary’s campaign for modernization and judicial excellence. His commitment to justice helped strengthen the Judiciary. Rest in peace, Mr. President,” the justices noted.
Foreign diplomats continued to express their condolences to the Filipino people and to the family and friends of the former president.
US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson said the US “will always remember his contributions to the US-Philippines bilateral relationship.”
Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian said he was deeply saddened to hear about Ramos’ passing.
Huang said the former leader was well known in China “for his friendship and contribution to the bilateral relationship” between the two countries.
“He was one of the first to propose the establishment of ‘Asian Forum’ in 1998 which incubated the Boao Forum for Asia in 2001. As former chairman of the Boao Forum for Asia he played an indispensable role in the development of the forum,” he said.
“The Chinese Embassy is deeply grieved by the loss of an old friend. He will be missed by all of us,” Huang said, even as he extended his condolences to the Ramos family.
Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines Peter MacArthur also conveyed sympathy to the people of the Philippines as well as to Ramos’ loved ones.
He said Ramos’ “strong leadership and warm friendship were evident during his visit to Canada in November 1997.”
The French Embassy in the Philippines also joined the country in mourning the death of Ramos, who it called “a champion of democracy.”
French Ambassador Michèle Boccco also conveyed her heartfelt condolences and said France stands by the people of the Philippines and Ramos’ friends and families.
Ramos died at age 94 at the Makati Medical Center on Sunday, July 31.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) mourned Ramos’s death as well.
On Monday, the AFP fired 105mm Howitzers at Camp Aguinaldo as a gun salute for its former commander-in-chief. This started at 5 a.m. with an 8-gun salute, followed by a round every 30 minutes until 5 p.m.
The Philippine flag at all military installations will be raised at half-staff “in solidarity with the grieving nation,” the AFP said.
Ramos “dedicated most of his life to the service of our country,” the AFP said, noting that he served as chief of the Philippine Constabulary from 1972 to 1986, chief of staff of the military from 1986 to 1988, and defense secretary from 1988 until 1991.
“Our countrymen will always remember FVR’s positive outlook and peace advocacy. It was during his presidency when the final peace accord was signed between the Philippine government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF),” the AFP said in a statement.
“We shall honor his passion and exemplary commitment to public service, and continue to carry on his aspiration for a just and lasting peace in our country,” it added.
The Philippine Army also joined Filipinos in mourning the passing of the former president.
“The nation mourns the loss of a great leader and an illustrious soldier who truly embodied the Army’s core values of honor, duty, and patriotism,” Philippine Army spokesperson Col. Xerxes Trinidad said in a statement.
“As we honor his life and legacy, the 110,000-strong Philippine Army offers our snappiest salute to former President and Commander-in-Chief Ramos,” he said.
The Department of National Defense extended its sympathies to the family and friends of Ramos, who it described as “a staunch advocate for the modernization and professionalization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.”
“He underscored the importance of building a strong military organization and promoting collaboration with different stakeholders to uphold the nation’s internal stability and security. His storied career in the military and in the public service earned him the admiration of Filipinos across political divides,” DND officer-in-charge Jose Faustino Jr. said.
The House of Representatives on Monday adopted a resolution expressing the profound condolences of the chamber to Ramos’ family.
The lower chamber, in a plenary session, adopted House Resolution 120 authored by Speaker Martin G. Romualdez, House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe, Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan, and Senior Deputy Majority Leader Sandro Marcos.
Calling Ramos a “pillar of strength and a true statesman,” the resolution said the death of Ramos was “a huge loss to the whole country, and he will always be remembered as one of the great leaders who took good governance to heart.”
The resolution cited Ramos for his “resolute vision” which “paved the way for real economic gains that renewed the confidence of investors in the country and brought the Philippines to a budding ‘tiger economy’ status, seeing robust economic growth, exceptional political stability and peace agreements with government separatists.”
Many legislators paid tribute to Ramos.
Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte recalled that alongside the restoration of political stability following the spate of military coups that had rocked the Aquino presidency, the six-year term of the late FVR was “distinguished by the renaissance of the economy resulting from the bold initiatives that the former defense secretary and armed forces chief had carried out to privatize or deregulate major businesses such as air and land transport, telecoms (telecommunications) and water service sectors.”
“Many Filipinos, especially the millennials and zoomers (Generation Z’ers), are probably unaware that the late President Ramos had presided over an economic boom set apart by greater market competition and better services for our people, which, in turn, turned the Philippines on his watch as a magnet for capital from both foreign and local investors and highlighted the global competitiveness of our country and its people,” Villafuerte said.
Deputy Majority Floor Leader Rep. Sandro Gonzalez said the economic growth that Filipinos experienced under his presidency was “truly awe-inspiring.”
“His great leadership and love for service have paved the way for technological advancements and efficiency in the delivery of basic services,” said Gonzalez.
Cibac party-list Rep. Eddie Villanueva said Ramos was a true statesman who bravely led the country amid tumultuous times while championing moral recovery in the nation.
Two separate resolutions were filed in Senate expressing profound sympathy and condolences.
In his resolution, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian acknowledged Ramos as instrumental in regaining the country’s freedom.
Gatchalian also said the Ramos presidency brought a period of political and economic growth which put the Philippines on the map for being the “Rising Economic Tiger of Asia.”
Another resolution filed by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano noted the late President’s demonstrated devotion to duty and country and “peerless leadership throughout a lifetime of military and public service.”
In his sponsorship speech, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said they are honoring the life and legacy of “one of the country’s brightest leader—a military man, a politician, a statesman of the highest order, whose mark upon the nation reverberates to this day, long after his term in Malacañang.”
“President Fidel V. Ramos may have left office almost a quarter of a century ago, but the way he discharged his duties and dignified the
presidency will stay in our memories forever,” Zubiri said.
He described Ramos as one of our most distinguished military men—serving in the Korean War and later, as Chief of Staff of the First Philippine Civic Action Group to Vietnam. By 1972, he was named Chief of the Philippine Constabulary, and then as Director General of the Philippine Integrated National Police, before being appointed Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces in 1986, and then ultimately as Secretary of Defense in 1988.
As president, the Senate leader said Ramos brought his military mind to the table and set the benchmark for hard work and discipline, the standard for boldness, and the template for fast action and quick results.
“And these were the driving forces which allowed him to preside over an economic boom, which, through a series of reform measures,
emancipated consumers from bad service and poor choices,” he said.
Senator Juan Edgardo Angara said Ramos’s success in leveraging a minority mandate into major reform victories shows the ways that crucial changes in governance can be done.
He said Ramos did it through consultations, by listening, and by reaching out to all stakeholders, even to those who were not in his camp.
Senator Aquilino Pimentel III said President Ramos, the father of the EDSA Revolution and the man who once turned the Philippines into Asia’s Economic Tiger, shall be remembered as the man who sincerely pursued people empowerment and implemented many reforms and innovative ideas such as the Build Operate Transfer Law.
Senator Risa Hontiveros said Ramos, one of the most dogged navigators of the country’s contested democracy, will forever be remembered as a major game-changer during the People Power Revolution.
Even then, his unexpected courage was a force of nature, encouraging many other longer-standing freedom fighters, Hontiveros added.
As president, she said Ramos laid down a strong foundation for political recovery and economic stability, which reinvigorated a country emerging from the very dark shadow of the martial law dictatorship, she said.