Ramos, Fidel
(b. 1928), president of the Republic of the Philippines. Born on 18 March 1928, the son of the Philippine minister of foreign affairs, Fidel Ramos was a career military officer. He graduated from U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 1950, earned a master's degree in civil engineering from the University of Illinois in 1951, andserved in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. A cousin of Ferdinand Marcos, Ramos served as chief of the Philippine Constabulary, director-general of the civilian Integrated National Police, and deputy chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines throughout the martial law era. He became chief of staff and a four-star general in 1986.
Former president Fidel Ramos at a news conference in Manila in January 2002. (AFP/CORBIS)Despite his close ties to Marcos, Ramos joined the opposition and was instrumental in forcing Marcos from power on 25 February 1986. President Corazon Aquino had some misgivings about Ramos, who had previously ordered the arrest of her husband Benigno Aquino, yet she immediately appointed Ramos chief of the armed forces of the Philippines. Acquino increasingly came to rely on Ramos, who proved his loyalty by putting down several coup attempts. In 1988, Aquino appointed Ramos secretary of national defense, replacing a Marcos cabinet holdover, Juan Ponce Enrile. Ramos used his position to launch a successful presidential bid, running as a candidate for the Lakas-National Union of Christian Democrats (Lakas-NUCD) party. In 1992, Ramos was elected as the twelfth president of the Republic of the Philippines.
The Ramos presidency was a period of political and economic stability. He negotiated peace in 1995 with the largest Muslim separatist group, defeated the communist insurgency, successfully liberalized the economy, and attracted much foreign investment. Ramos proposed amending the constitution to allow a second term but met with considerable opposition; his vice president, Joseph Estrada, succeeded him. Ramos played a major role both in persuading the military to withdraw their support for Estrada following his impeachment trial and corruption scandal and in installing of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as president in February 2001. As of 2002, Ramos held the post of chairman of the Ramos Peace and Development Foundation, an influential think tank in Manila, and was serving on many corporate and foundation boards.
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