Ramos commends Bagumbayan Movement

Former President Fidel V. Ramos sent a congratulatory note to Senator Richard J. Gordon and the Bagumbayan Movement-Volunteers for a New Philippines on its Grand Launching and National Convention at the Manila Hotel last April 27.


In a message he sent to Bagumbayan, Ramos commended the movement for its noble vision of effecting genuine change in government and society through vision, values and volunteerism.


As a token of his commendation, the former president gave Gordon a book that contains writings on Lapu-Lapu and Jose Rizal, who are the role models and inspiration of the organization’s members and volunteers.


Leon “Porong” B. Herrera, Bagumbayan president, said the courage and wisdom of Lapu-Lapu and Rizal have inspired Bagumbayan volunteers to break the walls of apathy and cynicism, and face the challenges of building a nation that is enabled, ennobled and free.


Ramos expressed support to Bagumbayan’s call for change the way he supported the transformational efforts of Subic volunteers in 1992.


The former President saw the rise of Filipino volunteerism in Subic when then Olongapo Mayor and now Senator Gordon, a founding member of Bagumbayan, led 8,000 volunteers to rise up from the challenges brought by the departure of the American military from the naval base in Subic.


It was Ramos who appointed Gordon as chairman and administrator of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, the country’s first international Freeport that became a model of military bases conversion.


More than 70,000 jobs were created and about 200 companies engaged into investments with the establishment of SBMA. It drew foreign investments amounting to $ 3 Billion.


Because of the success of SBMA under Gordon’s leadership, Ramos chose Subic as the venue of the 4th Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Summit in 1996 attended by 18 world leaders including Bill Clinton of the United States of America, Jiang Zemin of People’s Republic of China, Mahathir Mohamad of Malaysia and Goh Chok Tong of Singapore.


Herrera said that the country’s former Chief Executive is one of the leaders the Bagumbayan volunteers look up to. Ramos, he added, supported the efforts of Gordon in transforming Subic into a bastion of economic prosperity.