LAST week, President Fidel V. Ramos, 12th President of the Republic of the Philippines, was laid to rest. The tribute from people who had the good opportunity of working and dealing with him as boss, leader and friend was overwhelming as they shared their memories of how good a man and a gentleman he was. People who did not have personal encounters with him though were content on contemplating how it was during his presidency.

One of the most prominent concerns of the ordinary citizen, when FVR took the helm of government, was the power crisis with electricity outages happening across the land. At that time, I was with the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) and power-generating barges were brought into the country as a practical solution to the shortage of electricity. For many, it meant uninterrupted electricity at home and in the workplace.