Former President Fidel V. Ramos Has Died at 94
Former President Fidel Valdez Ramos passed away on Sunday, July 31, 2022. According to multiple news reports he expired due to complications related to COVID-19. He was 94 years old.
Ramos was President of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998 after becoming a decorated general in the Philippine military. Born in 1928, he was educated at National University, the United States Military Academy at West Point, National Defense College of the Philippines, and Ateneo de Manila University. At the time of passing, Ramos had 29 honorary doctorate degrees.
Known by his initials FVR, Ramos had survived three wars: World War II, during which he was a student, and the Korean and Vietnam Wars, both of which he served in. FVR founded the Philippine Army's Special Forces and received the Philippine Legion of Honor, one of his many military recognitions.
During Martial Law, Ramos served in the Armed Forces of the Philippines under then President Ferdinand Marcos. Along with then defense minister Juan Ponce Enrile, FVR defected to the cause of Corazon Aquino after the assassination of Ninoy Aquino Sr. After the People Power Revolution of 1986, installed Aquino to power, Ramos served as Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and went on to become an integral member of the Aquino's cabinet.
Following Aquino's term in 1992, Ramos ran for President and won, defeating his closest opponent, the late Miriam Defensor Santiago.
Ramos' presidency is best known for establishing economic and political stability in the nation and championing liberal democracy. He made peace with the rebels he once fought, defended the Spratly Islands from foreign forces, and steered the nation through the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997.
Following his term, Ramos still played a role in politics, most notably in the success of the Second EDSA Revolution, which ousted then-president Joseph Estrada and installed Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as President.
Ramos is survived by his wife, Amelita "Ming" Jara Martinez-Ramos, four of their five daughters, and their many grandchildren.
