Meeting former Philippine President Fidel Ramos

My family and I were at a closed fundraiser for Gawad Kalinga in Calgary, Alberta last night, where former Philippine President Fidel V. Ramos was the guest of honor. It was organized by Couples for Christ Calgary in association with ANCOP International Canada. 

Former President Ramos is currently in Calgary for the next couple of days to raise money and showcase his support for Gawad Kalinga, representing his foundation, the Ramos Peace and Development Foundation. From their website:

The Ramos Peace and Development Foundation, Inc. (RPDEV) serves as a catalyst of constructive change, a medium for fostering unity, stability and progress and a force for mutual understanding.

Our aim is to contribute in bringing about the “good life” for democratic societies through a culture of excellence and global competitiveness.

I am so glad to see that President Ramos has been active in his post-presidency years, and for a person who is currently 81 years old, he still retains, a great spirit of youth and energy, even mentioning at one point in the evening that it is not about how old you are, but how young you feel.

In any case, the political junkie in me was really excited to meet him. Ramos was president of the Philippines as I was growing up (I was too young to remember the people power revolution that overthrew the Marcos regime, and saw President Cory Aquino as the first woman president of the Philippines). For those of you who don't know, the current president of the Philippines is also a woman, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. 

Ramos' keynote speech at dinner was one that focused on Pinoy pride. Speaking mainly in Tagalog, he talked a lot about being proud of who you are, whether you are Filipino, Canadian or even Filipino-Canadian. I never knew this, but Ramos also highlighted the meaning of the Filipino word "Mabuhay", with its significance stemming from "may buhay"  or in English, "there is life".

Ramos also acknowledged and extended warm wishes to Canadians on the occasion of Canada Day. Speaking on this topic, Ramos talked about Philippine Independence Day as well, asking the audience when Philippine Independence Day was - with the answer being June 12, 1898 (though not without relevance to Philippine history as noted in this Wikipedia article). Unlike Canada or the United States where independence day celebrations always take place on July 1 and July 4 respectively, Ramos mentioned that lately, Malacañang Palace has misplaced priorities (and has taken them to task) where instead of keeping to tradition and declaring June 12 as a national holiday every year, they declare a national holiday for independence day the Friday on, or around June 12. In other words, independence day in the Philippines is technically on June 12, but if it happens to fall on a Thursday, then the following Friday is declared a national holiday in order to make way for the long weekend.

Ramos' point is that you can play with dates with regards to other Philippine national holidays, but when it comes to Philippine Independence Day, it should always be on June 12 to uphold respect for the country, the flag and for those who died in its name.

I am so proud to be Filipino AND Canadian.
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Posted on Friday, Jul 3, 2009