The Centennial President looks forward to his centenary (Sabong News)
Author
Manila Bulletin
Date
MARCH 18 2022
As a Filipino soldier, former President Fidel V. Ramos (who was president 1992-1998) made a record of sorts for holding every one of the 100 ranks in the Philippine military — from second lieutenant to Commander-in-Chief. That speaks a lot about his longevity in the military service, in his civilian career and personal life: he is turning 94 today, March 18, and is optimistic and energetic enough to look forward to his centenary without being sedentary.
The number 100 must have a special role in the former President’s life. Ramos was called the “Centennial President” because it was during his term as President, on June 12, 1998, that the country celebrated its 100th year of independence from Spain. Buoying up the people’s spirit of nationalism, Ramos created the National Centennial Commission to spearhead all the programs related to this once-in-a-lifetime celebration for Filipinos.
Before popularity, charisma, talent in public speaking and pleasing personality, there is character. Character is the aggregate of traits, mental and moral qualities distinctive of an individual, and for persons seeking public office, the tests for character are necessarily more stringent than for ordinary citizens. For presidents of nations, courage and character are two of the outstanding traits that endear them to the citizens, even after decades of bowing out of office. To many, Ramos is the personification of true presidential character and courage that will move a nation towards recovery and even growth following a devastating public health problem or economic and geopolitical crisis.
Even now, Filipinos still remember that it was Ramos who embarked on the ambitious national development plan dubbed “Philippines 2000”. This development template involved privatization and deregulation of basic industries such as power, telecommunications, banking, domestic shipping and the petroleum sector. It also included taxation reforms, debt restructuring and sensible fiscal management, all for the benefit of the economy.
Ramos’ early years as President saw the Philippines’ economic growth gaining favorable comparisons with other Asian countries, until the 1997 Asian financial crisis that started in Thailand provided a snag that weighed down the country’s growth momentum. Still, the government’s “good housekeeping” processes helped the nation to recover from the setbacks. This was why the Philippine economy fared better than that of other countries in the region, and the transition of power to the next president, Joseph Estrada, was completed without a hitch.
It is generally cited that under the Ramos administration, the Philippines enjoyed economic growth and stability. As Chief Executive, FVR performed in his customary prompt, multi-tasking ways, signing papers while conducting meetings. His visions of Philippines 2000 inspired the nation’s private sector, academe, industries and big businessmen to work for raising the Philippines to the next level of industrialization, to being the “Tiger Cub Economy in Asia.”
Ramos’ most lasting legacy was his courageous move to end the scourge of power outages or brownouts which were prevalent in the country when he assumed office in May, 1992. He did this through the special emergency powers granted by Congress, the forging of special arrangements with independent power producers (IPP), and the creation of the Department of Energy. While this initially resulted in higher electricity costs, Ramos showed the nation that taking the bitter pill now is better than continuing illness and lethargy.
In this election season, presidential candidates are best advised to study the problems of the nation and solutions taken by the various administrations. In hindsight, our present leaders trying to gain the vote might as well learn from a master in modern-day governance, ex-President Fidel V. Ramos.
