FILIPINOS flocked to the Heritage Park in Taguig City yesterday to pay their last respects to President Fidel Ramos (FVR).
Ramos’ wake at Chapels 3 and 4 was opened to the public from 7 a.m. to 2:30 pm yesterday and will again be opened today to the public from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Yesterday afternoon, from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., was set aside for former staff members at the Office of the President (OP) during the Ramos presidency, members of Ramos’ party Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD), his close-in staff, and former campaigners. A religious service was held at 5 p.m., followed by a tribute.
Today, a mass/religious service and tribute will again be held after the public viewing from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
A state burial will be held tomorrow before the inurnment at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig City. At 10 a.m., a private mass will be held at 10 am at the Heritage Park to be followed by military honors and procession towards the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
At the Heroes Memorial Gate of the Libingan ng mga Bayani, full military honors will be accorded Ramos. This will be followed by a funeral procession to the grave site. Flowers will be dropped during the funeral procession.
At the grave site, there will be a 21-gun salute, followed by a turnover of the flag to the family and another flower drop.
Other presidents who were laid to rest at the Libingan ng mga Bayani are Elpidio Quirino, Carlos P. Garcia, Diosdado Macapagal and Ferdinand Marcos,the current President’s father.
The last state funeral and state burial held was for Macapagal in 1997.
In a state funeral, the remains of a former president will return to Malacañang for the last time and lie in state at the Heroes’ Hall in Malacañang where a public ceremony to honor the former leader is made.
State funerals were offered by the government for the late presidents Corazon Aquino and Benigno Simeon Aquino III in 2009 and 2021, respectively, but their family declined. Full military honors were instead accorded the two leaders who are both buried at the Manila Memorial Park.
The Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform (PEPP) hailed Ramos, calling him an “outstanding statesman for peace” during his tenure as head of state.
“We mourn the loss of an outstanding statesman for peace, an individual who would always welcome peace advocates to his office, an advocate who would travel and give time to speak to venues near and far about peace, and a kind humble human being who lived and dreamed to see peace prevail throughout the Philippines,” the PEPP said in a statement.
“We will forever hold in our hearts the spirit of perseverance he sustained in pursuing peace by principled dialogue. We will continue to uphold the trust and belief he placed in pursuing formal peace talks with various groups seeking different aspirations through arms,” it added. — With Gerard Naval
