Former Philippine President Fidel Ramos has died at the age of 94, his family said today. Relatives asked for privacy and “time to cry together” in a statement. The cause of death is not known. Ramos was the head of state of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998.
A graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point, he became head of the national police force under dictator Ferdinand Marcos. In 1986, however, Ramos broke with the Marcos regime and, together with then Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile, led a popular uprising that toppled the 20-year dictatorship.
defender of democracy
His popularity and image as a champion of democracy later encouraged him to run for president. Before his tenure, the island state was known as the “Sick Man of Asia”. Ramos is said to have modernized the country’s economy and attracted investment to the country.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., son of dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who was deposed in 1986, offered his condolences to the Ramos family. “Our family shares the sadness of the Filipino people on this sad day,” he said.