Fabian Ver
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fabian Ver (January 20, 1920 - November 21, 1998) born in Sarrat, Ilocos Norte, was a former General and the former Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines under President Ferdinand Marcos.
Contents |
[edit] Military and political career
He was the second most powerful man during the Marcos regime and he was also known as Marcos' chief enforcer, and was the highest among the Rolex 12. Ver worked his way up the military ranks, serving in World War II and after. He was fiercely loyal to Marcos, and Marcos repayed his loyalty by appointing him as the head of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. When he was due for retirement in 1976, Marcos extended his term indefinitely. Ver would be a feared figure during the martial law years, as he was known to take no prisoners and would resort to torture when needed. Martial law was lifted in 1981, and Ver was re-appointed as head of the armed forces over Gen. Fidel Ramos.
[edit] Crisis
Ver kept aging officers loyal to himself on the armed forces, thus making young officers disgruntled. The Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM) was formed as a result of this. The RAMboys, as they were known in the Philippines, played a key role in Marcos' overthrow. As the Marcos regime grew unpopular during these years, Marcos would be in and out of office due to kidney ailments. Political mismanagement would ensue, culminating with the 1983 assassination of popular oppositionist Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. upon his return from exile in the United States. Ver was accused of having conspired with a certain Rolando Galman who shot Aquino. The Agrava Commission, an independent fact-finding body put up by Ferdinand Marcos, would have Ver be indicted for the crime, but was subsequently acquitted in 1985 by Marcos. After the tumultuous snap elections on February 7, Marcos announced that he was replacing Ver with Fidel Ramos due to his alleged ties with the Aquino assassination although he tacitly kept Ver in power.
[edit] Later life
After the tumultuous snap elections of 1986, the EDSA Revolution would come. Ver advised Marcos to give him orders to fire on the swelling number of protesters, but Marcos stubbornly refused to and dismissed him with a salute. This led to the end of the Marcos regime. Ver went into exile in the United States along with his children, and would not be heard of for a while. In November of 1998, it was revealed that he was terminally ill from emphysema and ailing in Bangkok. He died on November 21 and his remains were brought back to the Philippines. He was buried in his hometown of Sarrat, Ilocos Norte.
