SPEAKER Martin G. Romualdez and other House leaders on Sunday expressed their condolences to the family of former President Fidel Valdez Ramos, saying the country lost a great leader.

Romualdez, Cavite Rep. Elpidio “Pidi” Barzaga, Jr., Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto of Batangas, Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta (PBA) party-list Rep. Margarita “Migs” Nograles, ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Jocelyn P. Tulfo, Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda, and Rizal Rep. Fidel Nograles mourned the passing of Ramos.

“We, in the Lakas-CMD, are saddened to learn of the passing of our Chairman Emeritus, former President Fidel Valdez Ramos. We all grieve because we lost a great leader and a dear friend. One who is a pillar of strength, and an inspiration to all,” said Romualdez, president of Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD).

“President Ramos will be remembered as one of the great Filipino leaders that took good governance to heart. His experience as a military general and his innate charm set the blueprint for what Philippine leaders should be: tough when necessary, but with a caring heart for the common Filipino. FVR is a tough act to follow. His legacy will never be forgotten,” Romualdez added.

Barzaga, a veteran lawyer and chairman of the House committee on natural resources, said “coalition-building is the heart of his (Mr. Ramos) governance.”

“We lost a great leader. My deepest condolences and sympathies to the family of former President Fidel V. Ramos,” Barzaga stated.

Recto, a former senator, said Ramos was brave in war, industrious in work, visionary in public service, and helpful to his fellowmen.

“He was the Steady Eddie who led by infectious and inspiring example, from the trenches of Korea , to the corridors of Malacanang. Whether in the battlefield or in the bureaucracy , he was daring in deeds and bold in thinking. He was driven by this Protestant-Ilocano-West Point work ethic which ingrained in him the habit of rising before dawn, and toiling till midnight. In all the offices he held, he was first man in and the last man out of the office,” Recto said.

Recto added Ramos became president in 1992 when the country was reeling from devastation of Pinatubo and the Baguio earthquake, when protected interests crushed competition and denigrated public service, when civil strife set back growth.

“In many places, when you open the taps, there was no water. You try to catch a plane, there was none. You lift the phone, you get a busy signal. You switch on the lights, there was no power. FVR ended the people’s misery by dismantling the protections which infantilized industries, injected efficiency by bringing in competition, and levelled the playing field. And most admirable is that while he was trained as a soldier, and proficient in the art of war, he was a relentless peacemaker, who used diplomacy in forging peace deals with anti-government forces. FVR was our ninong sa kasal. Vi (Vilma Santos) and I will miss him as do a nation and a people to whom he gave his all and his very best,” Recto stressed.

Migs Nograles recalled that the Build Operate Transfer Law was a brainchild of the Ramos administration which is now known as Public Private Partnership (PPP).

“It was a game-changing measure that enabled our government to pursue big-ticket projects that are beneficial to our people. My deepest condolences to the family and all the loved ones of former President Fidel V. Ramos. FVR or Tabako to some is a true icon of our country’s democracy and the prime mover of the many reforms that became the foundation of our national policies. Rest in Peace President FVR. Please say hello to my Papa ‘Boy Nogie’ (the late former Speaker Prospero Nograles) in heaven,” said Migs Nograles, daughter of former Speaker Nograles.

“Ako, ang aking pamilya at ang buong ACT-CIS party-list ay taos-pusong nakikiramay sa pamilya at mga kaanak ng yumaong dating Pangulong Fidel Valdez Ramos. His decisive and remarkable leadership has lead the country in restoring its economic growth and stability and paved the way to technological developments. Truly, his invaluable service and contributions to the country will always be remembered and his passing will be mourned by the Filipino people and the nation. Paalam at Maraming Salamat Pangulong Fidel Valdez Ramos,” Tulfo said.

Fidel Nograles said “I join the nation in mourning the passing of one of the country’s greatest leaders, former Pres. Fidel V. Ramos. FVR’s inspiring and effective leadership brought about political stability, prosperity, and social programs for the people.”

“His servant leadership was exactly the kind that I aspired to when I joined public service and the political party that he founded, Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD). Our nation is made poorer by his passing. Maraming salamat po, Pangulong Ramos, sa paglaan ng inyong buhay sa paglingkod sa bayan,” Fidel Nograles said.

Salceda called Mr. Ramos a “mentor and a model for my life in public service.”

“The former President helped birth my career in public service. During the peak of my career in private sector as an analyst, President Ramos would consult me on matters of national concern. That was when I became convinced that I could serve the country in a greater way. Just as he was leaving office, I ran for Congressman in Albay,” Salceda said.

“FVR is also family to me. He, together with Sen. Letty Shahani, considers our Sarte clan as family because one of my uncles married his first cousin, Angelita Lizardo. So, he always felt at home seeking my advice visiting our hometown Polangui several timesm,” Salceda recalled.

“FVR was possibly first President who was a serious policy wonk. He was someone who understood the complex workings of the economy in an instinctive manner. In terms of policy, he was the most consistent and methodical. He knew what he wanted to do, and he tried to do it,” Salceda said.

“Without FVR, we would not have been able to solidify the bedrock of investor confidence that has since allowed the country to grow its economy for decades. Ramos equaled economic reform. The Ramos brand was a brand of seriousness in governance. Business knew he meant business,” Salceda added.

“We would have had a much weaker recovery from the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis if not for FVR’s reforms, primarily to set our country’s finances right. PGMA would have had a much bigger mess to clean up, and our two decades of uninterrupted GDP growth prior to the COVID-19 pandemic may not have materialized,” he said. “When FVR talked of nation-building, and he talked a great deal about it, you knew it wasn’t hollow ostentatious talk. He meant what he was saying, and you took him seriously.”

Salceda said Ramos was his “model for unceasing restlessness in public service and public life. In office, he was the first to arise and get to work, and was often also the last to leave. Even after retirement, he kept his sharpness of wit and wisdom intact.” “With FVR, you also felt like you were facing someone who was a witness to history. The man was born during the Commonwealth Era, went to West Point, fought heroically in the Korean War, and played a leading role in the most momentous events of the country’s modern history. Whether you were on his side or not, you knew he was formidable,” Salceda said.

“His death, in many ways, is the end of an era. As the country reevaluates his times, he will no longer see this country’s destiny – a destiny he had nonetheless helped shape, as both critics and sympathizers would acknowledge.”

“And so, with his passing, his restless hands – hands that helped shape a nation’s modern history – finally take their rest. Those of us who learned from and worked with the man are left to ponder his legacy and carry on his work of nation-building. May we continue to work, and may he find his rest,” Salceda added.