Burdens of Power

"In his quiet way, he carried a heavy load." That was how West Point's yearbook for the class of 1950 described Graduating Cadet Fidel V. ("Eddie") Ramos. It was a prescient judgment. Since he became Chief of Staff of the armed forces of the Philippines ten months ago, General Ramos has shouldered more than his share of the decision-making burden within President Corazon Aquino's fledgling government.

Last February, Ramos joined with Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile to throw the weight of the armed forces behind Presidential Candidate Aquino; that dramatic endorsement helped topple former President Ferdinand Marcos. As coup rumors swirled on the eve of President Aquino's trip to Japan last month, Ramos curtailed restive officers by warning them that any rebellious action would be "bloody and destabilizing." Early last week he acted again, this time averting an apparent coup attempt by preventing Enrile and rebel officers from bypassing the chain of command. By birth and training, Ramos, 58, is a Manila insider. He is the son of Narciso Ramos, a former Foreign Minister, and a cousin of Marcos. The general's younger sister Leticia Ramos Shahani is a Deputy Foreign Minister. Ramos grew up in the town of Lingayen in the northern Ilocos region. After attending the National University in Manila, he enrolled at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, as a limited number of foreigners are permitted to do each year; he graduated in the top 10% of his class. At West Point, Ramos was a member of the M-1 company, which was reserved for cadets 5 ft. 6 in. to 5 ft. 7 in. tall. He was a weight lifter, and is still devoted to fitness: he jogs every day at 5 a.m. and is an ardent skydiver. Ramos went on to earn a master's degree in civil engineering from the University of Illinois. As a young officer he saw combat in Korea and Viet Nam, but it is said he has no taste for bloodletting. With his sound military record and family connections, Ramos rose to become Deputy Chief of Staff in 1981 under General Fabian Ver, a Marcos crony.

Ramos, whose reputation for ducking political decisions has earned him the sobriquet "Hamlet," proved more loyal to the military than to the President. In 1985 he filled in as armed forces chief while Ver faced conspiracy charges in the assassination of Opposition Leader Benigno Aquino, the current President's husband. Ramos and Enrile persuaded Marcos to hear the complaints of junior officers who wanted promotions based on merit, not favoritism. The talks came to nothing, but Ramos gained points with younger officers. Military reform is still high on his agenda. Western military observers in Manila say armed forces morale has been steadily climbing since Aquino took office. Nonetheless many troops are still ill equipped, badly disciplined and poorly trained.

For the reform program to bear fruit, Ramos needs political stability and time, which may be the most important reason he has chosen to side with Aquino. Another factor, say officials in both the Aquino Cabinet and the military, is that he may want to succeed Aquino when her presidential term expires in 1992. Married, Ramos has five children, all girls, whose ages range from 13 to 31. He is scheduled to retire from the military in two years. The central question is how long he will side with Aquino now that he is no longer the point of balance between the President and Enrile. Says a longtime Ramos friend: "Circumstances demanded that he be loyal to the President. Eddie is not loyal to only one person at all times. Everything is circumstantial."