This is to clarify Conrado de Quiros’ column titled “About time” (Opinion, 4/23/13), specifically his statement: “It was Fidel V. Ramos’ misfortune that he was not a Catholic and could therefore be depicted by that Church as going against mainstream beliefs.”
At the outset, we hasten to add our congratulations to President Aquino (like De Quiros does) for his inclusion “among the 100 most influential people in the world in the Leaders category” in Time magazine.
In our humble opinion, it was FVR’s great fortune to be chosen by the Filipino electorate despite the fact that he is not a Catholic but an avowed Protestant who openly declared his religious faith before the citizenry during the 1991-1992 presidential campaign period and throughout his presidency in 1992-1998. Readers may go over FVR’s speech before the leaders of the Catholic laity and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines at the Angelicum School, Santo Domingo Church, Quezon City, in March 1992 to verify this.
Anyway, we think the greater misfortune belonged to the six heavyweights bested by a non-Catholic, a citizen-soldier, and a neophyte without a political party to begin with.
As to the Reproductive Health Law: indeed, this is a long-awaited policy reform for which P-Noy should be credited. The same should, however, be implemented without further delay because so many mothers and their babies are still needlessly dying (but that’s another story).
—FRUMENCIO A. LAGUSTAN,
spokesperson of
Fidel V. Ramos