Editing History of the Philippines (section)

=== Administration of Fidel V. Ramos (1992–1998) ===
{{Main|Presidency of Fidel V. Ramos}}
[[File:Ramos Pentagon.jpg|thumb|207x207px|Ramos inaugurated as president in 1992]]
In the [[1992 Philippine general election|1992 elections]], Defense Secretary [[Fidel V. Ramos]], endorsed by Aquino, won the presidency with just 23.6% of the vote in a field of seven candidates. Early in his administration, Ramos declared "national reconciliation" his highest priority and worked at building a coalition to overcome the divisiveness of the Aquino years.<ref name="usdos" />

He legalized the [[Communist Party of the Philippines|Communist Party]] and laid the groundwork for talks with communist insurgents, Muslim separatists, and military rebels, attempting to convince them to cease their armed activities against the government. In June 1994, Ramos signed into law a general conditional [[amnesty]] covering all rebel groups, and Philippine military and police personnel accused of crimes committed while fighting the insurgents.<ref name=":9">{{Cite book|last=Nwankwo|first=Peter O.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=avck0wa3wz8C&q=fidel+ramos+signed+general+conditional+amnesty&pg=PA392|title=Criminology and Criminal Justice Systems of the World: A Comparative Perspective|publisher=Trafford Publishing|year=2011|pages=392|isbn=9781426967405}}</ref>

In October 1995, the government signed an agreement bringing the military insurgency to an end. A peace agreement with the [[Moro National Liberation Front]] (MNLF), a major separatist group fighting for an independent homeland in [[Mindanao]], was signed in 1996, ending the 24-year-old struggle.<ref name=":9" /> However, an MNLF splinter group, the [[Moro Islamic Liberation Front]], continued the armed struggle for an Islamic state.

Efforts by Ramos supporters to gain passage of an amendment that would allow him to run for a second term were met with large-scale protests, leading Ramos to declare he would not seek re-election.<ref name="asiaweek">{{cite magazine|title=Showdown in Manila |url=http://www.pathfinder.com/asiaweek/97/1003/nat1.html |magazine=Asiaweek |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061110215216/http://www.pathfinder.com/asiaweek/97/1003/nat1.html|archive-date=November 10, 2006 |access-date=December 20, 2007}}</ref>

On his presidency the [[Capital punishment in the Philippines|death penalty]] was revived in the light of the rape-slay case of UPLB students [[Murders of Eileen Sarmenta and Allan Gomez|Eileen Sarmienta and Allan Gomez]] in 1993 and the first person to be executed was [[Leo Echegaray]] in 1999.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pcij.org/blog/2006/04/18/a-timeline-of-death-penalty-in-the-philippines |title=A timeline of death penalty in the Philippines |publisher=Philippine Center for Investigated Journalist |date=April 18, 2006 |access-date=April 18, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180217004917/http://pcij.org/blog/2006/04/18/a-timeline-of-death-penalty-in-the-philippines |archive-date=February 17, 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref>