Fidel Ramos, who helped end Marcos dictatorship, dies at 94

Bloomberg

Fidel Ramos, the former Philippine president who was head of the national police under Ferdinand Marcos before defecting and joining the “People Power” protests that ousted the dictator in 1986, has died. He was 94.
Ramos’ family announced his passing in a statement on Sunday, without giving a cause of death. He died of complications from Covid-19, according to radio station DZRH, which didn’t say where it got the information.
Popularly known as FVR, Ramos served as defense chief in the first post-dictatorship government led by Corazon Aquino, widow of the slain Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., a prominent Marcos critic.
He won the presidency in 1992 — the first election under the current constitution — and was credited with steering the economy into a period of rapid growth until the 1997 financial crisis hit Southeast Asia.
A career military officer, Ramos gained prominence in 1986 when he and then-Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile broke from Marcos, whom they accused of rigging elections that year to stay in power. Ramos said he defected because the dictator had prioritized personal interest and was no longer a capable commander-in-chief.
They holed up in police headquarters in the capital, expecting an attack from pro-Marcos forces. However, members of the public heeded a call from a Roman Catholic cardinal to gather around the building, forming a human barricade that protected Ramos, Enrile and their troops. This started the People Power Revolution that eventually ousted Marcos.
In honoring him in 2000, the alumni group of the US Military Academy at West Point cited his “paramount role in returning democracy to the Philippines,” for which he was named a military hero of the revolution. The presidential palace condoled the death of the former leader. “It is with great sorrow that we learn of the passing of former President Fidel V. Ramos,” said Trixie Cruz-Angeles, press secretary for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, son and namesake of the late dictator Ramos helped unseat. “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.”
West Point
Ramos was born on March 18, 1928, in the municipality of Lingayen in Pangasinan province, north of the capital, the son of lawmaker and diplomat Narciso and educator Angela. He graduated from West Point in 1950 and earned a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Illinois the following year.
He earned two more master’s degrees: in national security in 1969 from the National Defense College of the Philippines, and in business administration in 1980 from Ateneo de Manila University, according to the Ramos foundation.
His early career was spent in the Philippine army in areas including reconnaissance and special forces. He climbed steadily up the ranks and in 1972 was named chief of the Philippine Constabulary.