Losing a leader

The whole country mourns the passing of former president Fidel V. Ramos last Sunday. Flags in some of the local government units were at half-staff, as a sign of respect. Local chief executives also gave their messages with fond memories of this president. It seemed like gloomy days followed his loss, we lost a leader who was pure and genuine up until his last breath.

Personally, my memory of Ramos isn't as vivid as the rest. As a person born in the 1990s, I understood that these years were his prime as president. Growing up, I remember him as the man who had his signature on the currency. Whenever I was asked who the president of the Philippines was, my toddler self would shout "Ramos!" as in Ramos Street in Cebu City. My curious self would also ask, is the president connected to the man named after Ramos in Cebu city? Nobody really knew, nobody even cared.

When Ramos left Malacañang and became a private citizen, he didn't make much noise. There were no cases filed against him. He lived a peaceful life with his signature strong pose which everyone remembers. Up until his last breath, he gave his wisdom to the next leaders of the country. He became a significant guest, no more than a private citizen, but a person respected by different sectors. Both uniformed personnel and civilians loved him and cherished him.

Now that Ramos is gone, we take a look at what he has done during the course of his life. It feels like we lost a gem with so much knowledge. But we can always remember him and keep his great lessons in our memory. Some of his workers noted his work ethic as top-notch. Having experience with the military, he was expected to be organized and stern. There was no beating around the bush with him. I admire leaders with such respect to time and protocol. My experience with the Duterte Administration left me always tired. We were asked to wait for hours before the president's arrival, whose speech didn’t always follow what was prepared.

Today we enter a new administration. In its first few weeks, we are seeing them slowly standing up on their own, reeling in after what it has inherited. Marcos may be different from Ramos when it comes to leadership style and rhetoric, but he can always look back at his forefathers for the best lessons in life. He was, indeed, his distant uncle.

We hold on to memories and life lessons that honed us. The legacy of Ramos indeed continues despite shortcomings. He may have left the earth but we will always remember him. With his small stature, weird-looking cap, and huge ears, Ramos was definitely also a crowd favorite.