For most of his 40-year public career, Fidel V. Ramos has made a virtue of his loyalty -- initially during the martial law rule of his second cousin, Ferdinand E. Marcos, and more recently during the embattled six of years of democracy under President Corazon Aquino.
Although he takes office as the Republic's 8th president with Aquino's endorsement, the retired four-star general will have the opportunity to demonstrate that he is his own man for the next six years.
Ramos, a cigar-chewing, 1950 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, joined Defense Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile in February 1986 to bring Aquino to power during a popular uprising that overthrew the 20-year rule of Marcos, whom they both had served.
Both men were bonded by their dislike of Marcos's wife, Imelda, as well as by a justified fear their days in the Marcos camp were numbered. Ramos was particularly bitter, because his years of loyalty to Marcos were disregarded when the dictator passed over him to name his bodyguard as armed forces chief of staff.
Enrile broke with Aquino. Ramos, as Aquino's armed forces chief and later defense secretary, stayed with her, gathering strength and decisiveness as he helped suppress six coup attempts and one secessionist insurrection mounted by Marcos loyalists and disgruntled junior officers.
His reward: Aquino's endorsement to succeed her.
His popularity as a hero of the 1986 revolt and his image as a defender of democracy encouraged Ramos to train his sights on the presidency. He won a narrow victory over six rivals in the May 11 elections.
As armed forces chief of staff, Ramos visited troops in the provinces and roused them for jogging exercises in the wee hours of the morning. A paratrooper, he sometimes parachuted with a case of beer for the soldiers.
Ramos, 64, is the first Protestant to become president of the predominantly Roman Catholic country and the first career soldier to occupy the nation's highest office.
'He could have taken power in 1986 or he could have led one those coup attempts himself,' said an aide. 'But he believes in the democratic process and has in fact waited for the elections to gain power.'
'In other countries, one coup attempt is enough to succeed,' said newspaper columnist Hilarion Henares. 'But here, there were seven and not one of them succeeded all because of one man: Eddie Ramos.'
Admirers describe Ramos -- an athlete, civil engineer and scuba diver -- as a cool and decisive leader. A simple man, he hates lavish receptions accorded to him by local officials during his visits to the provinces.
Military officers who had worked with him say Ramos is a workaholic. He gets up at dawn to jog, reports to office early, leaves late in the evening and calls meetings at any hour. He exacts the same dedication from his subordinates.
Critics, among them junior military officers who were his allies in ousting Marcos, paint him as a weak and vacillating leader and say that his image is a product of media hype.
They accuse him of having indulged in too much politics during his term as armed forces chief by appointing favorites to key military posts, causing disenchantment and disunity in the military.
Ramos resigned as defense secretary last year and fought House Speaker Ramon Mitra for the nomination of the ruling Fight of the Democratic Filipino party, or LDP, but lost. Claiming the polls were rigged, he bolted from the LDP with Aquino's blessing and launched his presidential bid under a coalition of his Strength of EDSA party and the National Union of Christian Democrats.
Born on March 18, 1928 in northern Lingayen town in vote-rich Pangasinan province, Ramos is a career military officer. His father, Narciso Ramos, was a former foreign secretary and his sister, Leticia Ramos-Shahani, was re-elected as a Senator.
After returning to the Philippines from West Point, the young lieutenant became a platoon leader against former anti-Japanese guerrillas who had embraced Marxism after World War II and were battling the Manila government. He later served with the Philippine contingents in the Korean and Vietnam wars.
Fondly called by his nickname, Eddie, Ramos has five daughters by his wife, Amelita, and four grandchildren.
Ramos for several years headed the Philippine Constabulary (National Police), which was plagued by widespread corruption and abuse.
He obediently implemented Marcos' martial law policies when the late dictator declared eight years military rule beginning in 1972.
His role in that infamous chapter of Philippine history in which thousands of Marcos' opponents were jailed and hundreds were tortured and murdered haunted him in the homestretch of the campaign.
Known to be secretive, Ramos endured in silence when Marcos bypassed him for the highest military post in favor of Gen. Fabian Ver, the former president's boyhood friend and head of presidential security.
When Ramos turned against Marcos in 1986, he swung the bulk of the armed forces into the rebellion mainly because of his image as a professional soldier.
A grateful Aquino named Ramos military chief moments after taking her oath of office, and she pinned his fourth star.
Ramos promises to introduce a new kind of politics called 'people empowerment,' a program that would enable the masses to be politically involved and economically self-sufficient.
He says he would continue with the economic reforms initiated under the Aquino government and strengthen the democratic institutions she has restored.
He faces lower financial aide from abroad, especially from the United States, which is closing uts military bases and slashing assistance by 60 percent.
A chronic electricity shortage, which has cost business in Manila more than $1 billion since March 1, is discouraging foreign investors. Unemployment and crime are high and rising.
