MANILA, Philippines – Former presidents of the Philippines joined fellow Filipinos in mourning the death of one of their own, Fidel Ramos. 

Ramos, the Philippines’ 12th president, died on Sunday, July 31. He was 94.

Expressing “deep sadness,” former president Rodrigo Duterte said he mourns the “death of a great statesman, mentor, and friend.”

“As we grieve for his loss, let us honor his legacy of service and his significant contributions to the country,” Duterte said.

Former president Joseph Estrada, meanwhile, said Ramos “will be remembered as one of the most effective presidents in our nation’s history.” Estrada served as vice president during Ramos’ term from 1992 to 1998.

“A military man by training and an engineer and a builder by background, he brought to the presidency a different view of how problems should be dealt with, overcoming them in the most pragmatic, cost-effective, and fastest way,” Estrada said.

A military man before entering politics, Ramos earned praise for the economic boom and political stability during the first three years of his administration. Before the Asian financial crisis, the country under Ramos had been referred to as a “tiger cub economy” and “Asia’s new darling.”

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

A second cousin of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, Ramos headed the Marcos-era Philippine Constabulary from 1972 to 1986, implementing Martial Law and having the dictator’s critics arrested. Ramos eventually defected and prompted the series of events that led to the EDSA People Power Revolution that ousted Marcos in 1986. – Rappler.com