MANILA — A week before the nation celebrates the 32nd anniversary of People Power that restored freedom and democracy in the Philippines, former President Fidel V. Ramos, one of the key players in that historic event, cited on Wednesday the importance of unity to move the country forward.
Ramos made the statement in an interview with PNA after his speech during the 140th anniversary of the Metropolitan Waterworks Sewerage System (MWSS) in Balara, Quezon City.
Ramos vividly recalled the four-day People Power that happened on Feb. 22-25, 1986 or 32 years ago when over four million people from all walks of life gathered along Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) in Quezon City that toppled the authoritarian regime of President Ferdinand E. Marcos, who fled to Hawaii in exile with his family.
Other key players in that historic event that caught the whole world by surprise were then Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile, Jaime Cardinal Sin, Col. Gringo Honasan, Butz Aquino and presidential candidate Corazon Aquino.
During the interview, Ramos who would be 90 years old next month, said he was invited by President Rodrigo R. Duterte during the 32nd anniversary celebration of the EDSA People Power to be held at EDSA People Power Monument on Feb. 25.
Ramos said the famous ‘Salubungan’ wherein military rebel forces met with civilians on that historic event was a display of unity as the country was facing a grave security threat.
He said that it is essential that unity and partnership between the people and law enforcers must be sustained at all times for the country to achieve progress and economic prosperity.
Meanwhile, as part of the 140th MWSS anniversary, the water agency unveiled its Water Eco-Tourism Hub Master Plan made by world-class urban planner architect Felino “Jun” Palafox.
The project will be built the MWSS’ 79-hectares Old Balara Picnic Grove.
“This grand plan also jibes with the “build, build, build” program of President Rodrigo Duterte as well as our vision to build a water and environment institute to better serve the present and future generations,” said MWSS administrator Reynaldo V. Velasco.”
“Having proven that we have collectively experienced successful water public private partnership in the last 20 years through a workable concession agreement, I am confident that this Palafox Master Plan will become a reality under the Duterte administration,” Velasco said.
He thanked MWSS concessionaires – Manila Water and Maynilad – for their utmost contributions to the project.
Manila Water President and CEO Ferdinand M. Dela Cruz added, “water and sanitation services requires a master plan, it requires a sustainable planning and really a long-term view. We extend what we can do through MWSS to promote good water and sanitation.”
For his part, Maynilad President and CEO Ramoncito S. Fernandez, said, “This serves as a showcase for the local water industry and is definitely a good legacy of Admin Velasco together with Maynilad, Manila Water and MWSS.”
According to Palafox, the master plan will try to snake around the trees or between the trees which will be a model community, a community within a forest or a forest within a community.
“I think this will be a classic sample of public private partnership and everyone will be a stakeholder,” adding that this can be a model also on how to make places walkable, bikeable, livable, safer, more sustainable, and more resilient. Plus, this is our gift to the whole country where we can live peacefully in a patriotic, humanist and architectural society,” Palafox said. (Ben Cal/PNA)
