Moments later, Amelita Ramos ushered the neighbors into their living room. The Philippines’s second-ranking military officer sat patiently as his friends pleaded. “Please, sir,” one of his neighbors implored, “for the good of the country, resign. Leave Marcos.” Like most Filipinos, they believed the recent elections had been arranged by Marcos, denying Cory Aquino her rightful place as the new president of the Philippines.

As his neighbors left his house, Ramos was ready to join Enrile. Together they hoped to rally the philipine military to Aquino’s side, praying that enough popular support could be generated to keep themselves from being slaughtered by Marcos loyalists.

Four days later, the massive demonstrations fueled by the defections of Ramos and Enrile had triumphed. Marcos and his notorious free-spending wife, Imelda, were forced to flee the country. Cory Aquino became the new president, and the People Power revolution quickly became a worldwide symbol of democracy.

Ramos, Aquino’s first military chief of staff and later her defense secretary, was at one point urged by officers to join an attempted coup. But he held firm to his belief in the democratic process. In 1992, Aquino endorsed Ramos in the six-candidate race to succeed her.

拉莫斯还是小孩子时，他就注意到作国会议员的父亲要靠砍柴种菜来养家糊口。拉莫斯一家曾在北部地区声名远扬，而在二战日本占领时却深受其害。尽管他太小无法服兵役，可他还是接触到战争，因为他曾帮助保护他的堂兄，费迪南德·马科斯脱离日本人的魔掌，当时马科斯是一名地下游击队中尉。

除了这次的干扰外，拉莫斯一直是个认真的学生，并成了他所在中学的班级主席。1945年，在他的国家脱离美国独立的前一年，他选定了自己的道路。他悟出，人们需要工程师来重建百废待兴的祖国。

他参加了美国军事学院西点军校竞争激烈的考试，在每班留出的一名菲律宾人的名额中，他考取了这个名额。毕业后他在伊利诺伊州接受土木工程师的培训。他学会了以榜样来领导别人，不久就发现他的祖国需要一支专业的、非政治性的军队。他说，他在美国期间坚定了他自由经营、依法办事和奖惩分明的信念。

朝鲜战争期间，拉莫斯服役于菲律宾军队而后返回家园抗击农民暴动。任上尉时他就帮助建立并训练了第一支菲律宾特种部队精锐营。任少校后他主动请缨前往越南，他意识到当地的革命气氛同样孕育在他一穷二白的祖国。

拉莫斯成长在菲律宾军营，他非常清楚马科斯政权的暴行。他常常想到离开军队，但出于对部下的忠诚，他留下来了。“我要对成百上千万的人民负责，”拉莫斯对他的朋友们说，“我不能就这样离开。”马科斯还变本加厉地亲自提升他诡计多端的堂弟统领军事化的国家警察部队。

终于，决裂开始了。1986年2月21日下午4点，费德尔·拉莫斯少将将要面对一群愤怒的同僚。国防部长胡安·庞斯·恩瑞尔请求他加入反抗马科斯的起义。liuxuepaper.com