Ramos: Following right path better than straight path

Former President Fidel V. Ramos on Monday declared that military adventurism was a thing of the past, but hastened to add that the Aquino administration must make sure that its daang matuwid (straight path) was leading the country in the right direction.

Speaking at the launch of his book, “Bulletin of FVR: Sermons” at the Manila Hotel, Ramos downplayed the chances of the military mounting a major coup similar to those staged during the administration of the late President Corazon Aquino.

Marine Col. Generoso Mariano last week called for the ouster of President Aquino, sparking concerns about renewed restiveness in the military. Mariano had participated in the bloody December 1989 coup attempt.

“I do not see any more military coups of the likes of 1986 to 1990 because our Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police and our leaders starting with the leaders in Malacanang, do not accept dictators,” Ramos said.

He added: “But we still have dynastic leaders. They do not aim to control the government but to control our wealth. That is not right.”

The launch of the book, a compilation of Ramos’s newspaper columns and other “think” pieces, was attended by business and civic leaders like Alfonso Yuchengco, former Finance Secretary Roberto de Ocampo and former Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral.

Ramos, who led efforts to put down the coup attempts in the late 1980s as the country’s defense secretary, downplayed Mariano’s action.

“My view there is that it is a protest by a ranking official of our Armed Forces. Or maybe he’s a leader of one group, but I think it is only a small group,” he said.

Ramos declined to give Aquino a grade for his first year in office. But he said that “tamang daan (right path)” should have a higher priority than the Mr. Aquino’s much-publicized “matuwid na daan (straight path).”

“Following the straight path is OK but what if it’s going straight down? Or maybe they’re the only ones benefiting. So I said it is better to follow the right path that is not only straight but also inclusive,” Ramos said.