LOOK BACK: Ramos says he opposed Marcos because of his ‘basic values’

MANILA, Philippines – Former president Fidel V. Ramos, who played a key role in ousting then dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos in 1986, explained during a 2017 interview why he turned his back on his then commander-in-chief who also happened to be his cousin.

In a talk with Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Rappler CEO Maria Ressa in 2017, Ramos said he went against Marcos because of the Constitution and his basic values.

“Now, to make the long story short, with that background, why did I go against this guy? Well, it’s because of, again, what is in the constitution. 1935 during that time, 1987 now. You obey the orders of your superiors, your commanding officers if they are legal orders,” Ramos said during the 2017 interview.

He added: “And we all agreed, we just have to stop this thing. Patay kung patay eh. (Even risking our own lives.) Even at the sacrifice of life, family, future, fortune. It was not only me that was involved but my own family, my extended family. They’re also at risk.”

The decision of then military vice chief of staff Ramos and then-defense minister Juan Ponce Enrile to withdraw their support from Marcos was considered among the events which sparked the EDSA People Power Revolution. It was on the evening of February 22, 1986, after Ramos and Enrile, together with fellow rebel soldiers, set up positions inside Camp Aguinaldo, that then Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin went on the air over Radio Veritas to ask the people to support “our two good friends.”

Ramos also explained in his interview with Ressa that he went against his second cousin despite their deep relationship as relatives.

“I am a full-blooded second cousin of President Marcos. And my mother was his favorite auntie outside of the direct family. Because my father and mother gave him safety and sanctuary right after the fall of Bataan and Corregidor, where he was a fighter, a major,” Ramos said.

Watch the portion of the interview by clicking the video above. – Rappler.com