Fidel V. Ramos, the country’s 12th President, died of COVID-19 on Sunday at the ripe age of 94.
Remembered as a dedicated statesman, a soldier, an engineer, and a “serious policy wonk” who steered the country’s path to recovery from the global economic crisis of the 1990s, he was also known as “Steady Eddie” for his unflappable nature.
Ramos was a celebrated military official, politician and an Edsa hero who played a crucial role in restoring democracy in the Philippines during the 1986 People Power Revolution. Among his achievements as president include the peace agreement between the government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in 1997 that earned him and MNLF chair Nur Misuari the 1997 Unesco Peace Prize, the first for Asians.
Ramos has also been credited for resuscitating the economy and allowing the country to rid itself of the shameful reputation as “the sick man of Asia,” such that during the devastating financial crisis of 1997, foreign lenders and investment analysts predicted the Philippines as likely to recover faster than its peers.
“Steady Eddie” also faced a debilitating energy shortage head on in his first year of office in 1992 and his focus on strengthening the economy made it so that by 1996, when the Philippines hosted the 18-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, the country’s economic recovery was a conversation piece.
The outpouring of tributes for Fidel V. Ramos, coming not only from his countrymen but even from leaders in the international community, provides proof that quality leadership that produces quantifiable results still has great value in this world. While FVR may have had his faults and shortcomings, a closer scrutiny of his life and achievements now that he has passed on reveals the impact of principled and competent leadership on a country.
As we bid farewell to great Filipino leader and condole with the loved ones he left behind, may we also find inspiration in the legacy that former president Fidel V. Ramos left to his country where he maximized all the opportunities given to him to make it a better place, the best way he knew.*
