President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has declared 31 July to 9 August 2022 as national days of mourning for former president Fidel V. Ramos.
The Office of the President on Monday released Proclamation No. 33 to honor Ramos for 10 days.
“I, Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution and existing laws, do hereby declare 31 July 2022 to 09 August 2022 as a Period of National Mourning over the passing of former President Fidel V. Ramos,” the proclamation read.
“The national flag shall be flown at half-mast from sunrise to sunset, on all government buildings and installations throughout the Philippines and abroad, for a period of 10 days,” it further read.
Under the proclamation, the President recognizes that “the death of Fidel V. Ramos, the twelfth President of the Philippines is a great loss to our country and the Filipino people.”
Aside from being President from 1992 to 1998, Ramos served as the Secretary of National Defense from 1988 to 1991, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines from 1986 to 1988, and Chief of the Philippine Constabulary from 1972 to 1986.
“It is fitting to devote a period of national mourning to pay tribute to an esteemed leader who has dedicated his life to public service and has left a lasting mark on our country,” the proclamation read.
The Ramos family confirmed the death of the former president on Sunday at the age of 94.
“The Ramos family is profoundly saddened to announce the passing of former President Fidel Valdez Ramos. We thank you all for respecting our privacy, as the family takes some time to grieve together,” it said in a statement.
They will be announcing wake and funeral arrangements “in the near future.”
Ramos was the second cousin of Marcos’ father, the late former President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr.
Marcos Sr.’s paternal grandfather, Fabian Marcos, and Ramos’ maternal grandmother, Crispina Marcos-Valdez, were siblings.
Ramos graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1950, and earned a master’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois in 1951.
He is also remembered as the founder of the PNP Special Action Force (SAF) and the Philippine Army’s Special Forces Regiment.
Ramos briefly served as a special envoy to China during the first year of the Duterte administration in 2016.
Popularly known as “FVR”, he was born in Lingayen, Pangasinan on 18 March 1928.
Malacañang has placed the Philippine flag at half-mast in honor of the late former president.
Flags are at half-staff as a symbol of national mourning.
Under Republic Act No. 8491, the Philippine flag shall be flown at half-mast on the day of the official announcement of the death of any of the following officials: the President or a former President for 10 days, while the Vice-President, the Chief Justice, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives for 7 days.
Meanwhile, for other persons to be determined by the Institute, flags must be flown half-mast for any period less than seven days.
The law provides that the flag shall be flown at half-mast on all the buildings and places where the decedent was holding office, on the day of death until the day of interment of an incumbent member of the Supreme Court, the Cabinet, the Senate, or the House of Representatives.