Ramos, ex-Philippine leader who helped oust dictator, dies

By JIM GOMEZ
Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Former Philippine President Fidel Valdez Ramos, a U.S.-trained ex-general who saw action in the Korean and Vietnam wars and played a key role in a 1986 pro-democracy uprising that ousted a dictator, has died. He was 94. Ramos’s family announced his death with profound sadness. His longtime aide, Norman Legaspi, told The Associated Press that Ramos had been in and out of the hospital in recent years due to a heart condition and had suffered from dementia. The cigar-chomping Ramos, known for his visionary “win-win” outlook, attention to detail, thumbs-up signa and firm handshakes, served as president from 1992 to 1998, succeeding the democracy icon, Corazon Aquino. She was swept into the presidency after Ramos helped lead a revolt that toppled dictator Ferdinand Marcos.