Ramos Administration (1992 – 1998)

President Corazon Aquino, prohibited by the Constitution to run for a second

term, endorsed Defense Minister Fidel V. Ramos in the 1992 presidential elections.
Ramos won under a new political party, Partido Lakas Tao, based on his long-held
political doctrine of people empowerment. Many of its members called themselves non-
traditional politicians like their leader. Elected Vice-President was former movie star,
San Juan Mayor and senator, Joseph “Erap” Estrada.

Upon his assumption of office, he worked on an Agenda for Reforms to make the
Philippines a New Industrialized Country (NIC) by the year 2000. Five days after
President Ramos assumed office, he announced the creation of a “Malacañang of the
South,” to “bring Malacañang closer to the people.”

At the onset, President Ramos had encountered problems which were remnants
of the previous two administrations and these were as follows: mass poverty, ailing
economy, power crisis, high crime rate, graft and corruption, environmental problems
and insurgency. These difficulties triggered President Ramos to formulate his agenda
for reforms to achieve progress and stability. To secure the economy, President Ramos
ordered the dismantling of monopolies and cartels. Legislative measures were also
approved to increase domestic and foreign investments, improve human resources and
enhance the country’s links with other nations in the global economy.

In 1992, around 781,000 new jobs became available in the country. The national
unemployment rate from 9.8 percent in 1996 was reduced to 8.4 as of 1997. From
1992 to 1997, the country’s per capita income increased from $800 to $1,240. Overseas
Filipino Workers (OFWs) were able to receive protection with the enactment of the
Migrant Workers Act of 1995. Ten additional labor attaches were deployed in countries
where there are large concentrations of OFWs.

On July 8, 1992, President Ramos created the Presidential Anti-Crime

Commission (PACC) and appointed the Vice-President as its head. After a year of its
operations, the PACC had encountered various crime syndicates, arresting over 150 of
their suspected members and forcing 58 others to voluntarily surrender.

On health care services, the government pursued preventive health care

programs, which have gained popular recognition. Delivery of medical services to
distant areas was made possible through the “doctors to the barrio program.” The
average life expectancy gained a new ceiling from 67.5 years in 1992 to 69.1 years in
1995.
 While the Ramos administration has been promoting artificial methods of birth
control, the Catholic Church continues to promote abstinence or natural birth control
methods among couples. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) in
a pastoral letter read in churches nationwide said that the government’s birth control
program would destroy family ties. It also virtually endorses abortion.

President Ramos launched the Social Reform Agenda (SRA) on June 17, 1994,
“to help the poorest of the poor help themselves.” Twenty provinces from the most
depressed category have been the beneficiaries of poverty-alleviation measures that
include housing projects, agrarian reform programs, employment opportunities and
health care initiatives.

The Smokey Mountain, once the center of abject poverty, was transformed into a
model, affordable and clean area for residential and commercial purposes. In terms of
public infrastructure, from 1992 to 1998, the government has completed the
construction and upgrading of 36,050 kilometers of roads and 45,464 lineal meters of
bridges.

The Philippine National Railways, (PNR) main south line (Albay) was
rehabilitated. It used to be nonoperational since 1986. The Pasig River Ferry service
was also revived to promote the use of inland waterways as an alternative means of
transport.

In Metro Manila, more infrastructure were also built – the circumferential road
known as C-5, two more Light Rail Transit (LRT) systems, the Manila Skyway, and the
New Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal (NAIA II). In other parts of the
country, additional international airports were opened like Subic, Clark, General Santos
and Zamboanga.

The administration started the interlinking of the major island grids into one
national power grid with the completion of the Leyte-Cebu interconnection in 1997 and
Leyte-Luzon interconnection in 1998.

Programs and projects were also implemented to protect the country’s

environment and converse its natural resources. Critical area such as the Tubbataha
and Apo reefs, Boracay, and the Ifugao rice terraces were protected and rehabilitated
under the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS).

The government embarked on an intensive foreign relation campaign based on

economic diplomacy. President Ramos expanded global linkages by building and
strengthening partnerships through foreign trips which have been criticized.
 The United States continued to be country’s top trading partner, accounting for
26.78 percent of the total in 1990 and 26.66 percent in 1991. The country’s trade with
Japan had been on an uptrend, with 19.84 percent of the country’s total trade during
the year.

The People’s Republic of China (PROC) continued to be the country’s leading

communist trading partner. The increase of Philippine export to PROC in 1991 was
attributed to the huge demand for manufactured fertilizers.

In the pursuit of peace and in nation building, the Ramos administration was
able to forge a just and honorable peace with the Repormang Alyansang Makabansa
(RAM) and the Moro National liberation Front (MNLF) by initiating dialogues and
agreements. This won the respect of the world as evidenced by the 1997 United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) peace prize awarded
to the country. Peace talks were also held with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front
(MILF), Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and National Democratic Front (NDF)
so that they may “rejoin the mainstream of civil society.”

It was on September 15, 1993 when President Fidel V. Ramos signed Executive
order No. 125, Defining the Approach and Administrative Structure for the
Government’s Comprehensive Peace Efforts. It directed the government to pursue a
comprehensive peace process along Six Paths to Peace as recommended by the
National Unification Commission (NUC). The NUC recommended the creation of the
Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), which managed and
implemented the mandate of the government.

The Philippines once regarded as “the sick man of Asia” has transformed into a
nation towards the path of peace and sustainable development. Under his
management, President Ramos devised a new plan which he called “Philippines 2000,”
his blueprint for national economic recovery to transform it into a tiger economy by the
next millennium.

The program intended to have economic development that will be propelled and
sustained through the promotion of efficiency in the marketplace and the advancement
of social equity in terms of asset reforms. It also included just sharing of the benefits of
growth and effective people participation in the political and economic mainstream.

Despite the reversal of economic interests in Asia since late 1996 and 1997, the
Ramos administration managed to keep the local economy stable. The large number of
overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and Filipinos who do business abroad provided a
steady supply of dollar remittances supporting the local currency against the exchange
rate shifts.

During the early 1990s, militant activities by Muslim separatist forces continued
in Mindanao. In 1996 the government finally reached a peaceful settlement with one of
the largest rebel groups in the country, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). The
signing of the GRP-MNLF Peace Agreement on September 2, 1996 in Malacañang Palace
formally ended the armed conflict in Mindanao.

The GRP-MNLF peace accord specifically provided for the establishment of a

Special Zone of Peace and Development in Southern Philippines (SZOPAD), consisting of
14 provinces; the Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development (SPCPD);
and a Consultative Assembly. It also called for the integration of MNLF forces into the
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP). The
peace agreement also included economic assistance to the region.

In 1997 Ramos’ supporters sought to amend to constitution; however such

Charter Change (Cha-Cha) movement was denounced by different sector including the
Catholic Church. It was viewed as a scheme to allow the president a second term,
which the 1987 Philippine Constitution has forbidden.

At the end of President Ramos’ term, the observance of the first Centennial
Philippines Independence was carried out through the National Centennial Commission
(NCC) and other non-government organizations (NGOs). The NCC through a five-year
plan, assigned themes for every year for five years from 1994 to 1998, each one laying
the foundation for the success of the major celebrations on June 12, 1998 until January
23, 1999.

The Centennial Program had the following objectives: revive love of country,
restore appreciation for the true Filipino identity, relearn the values of the country’s
historic struggle for independence and use these for development of the future; and
generate greater active participation in the centennial commemoration celebration to
accelerate nation-building. The desired effects of the Philippines Centennial gave birth
to its slogan, “Kalayaan, Kayamanan ng Bayan.”

In the May 1998 presidential elections, President Ramos and the ruling coalition
supported Jose de Venecia, the House Speaker. However, it turned out that the
opposition has the popular support for the presidency. Joseph Estrada, vice-president
under the Ramos administration became the next head of the state.