MANILA, Philippines – A virtual presidential library on the life and legacy of former president Fidel V. Ramos will go online on the fourth quarter of 2022.

On Friday, March 18, the FVR Legacy, co-chaired by daughter Angelita Ramos, launched the planned virtual library in celebration of Ramos’ 94th birthday.

In a short message, Angelita said that the former president lived a “life of duty, honor, and country” – and that this has already created his father’s legacy.

“Through the FVR legacy project, the baton is being passed. We are passing it on to future generations to come,” she said.

According to her, the former president has real faith in the greatness of the Filipino people.

“We hope; he hopes; he continuous to hope that he will be followed by so many more Filipinos who are very unique in whichever positions, honors, skills – that they may offer [it] to the Philippines,” she added.

According to Marian Roces, the curator for the project, the virtual library will have five major categories tackling Ramos’ life and his contributions to society:

• Defining a Filipino life
• Building the Peace
• Renewing the Republic
• Visionary Presidency
• Mastering Statecraft

According to her, the website will highlight Ramos as an engineer, having a grasp of structure and systems, and as a military man who is committed to targets and missions.

Ramos was the chief of then-Philippine Constabulary and served as the vice chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Ramos, with then-defense chief Juan Ponce Enrile, led the soldiers to EDSA against dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.

Ramos offered his allegiance to Corazon Aquino who later became president after the EDSA People Power Revolution. Ramos succeeded Aquino.

As president, Ramos had earned praise for the economic boom and political stability during the first half of his administration. Before the Asian financial crisis, the country under Ramos’ “Philippines 2000” had been referred to as a “tiger cub economy,” “Asia’s new darling,”  and was ranked second to China in terms of the fastest-growing economies in the region.

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The former president also brokered a peace agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front in 1996.

Ramos was among those who pushed President Rodrigo Duterte to run for the top post. He was reportedly “disillusioned” with Duterte through the rest of the President’s term. – Rappler.com