Other Forces

Benigno Ramos

Benigno Ramos (1893-1946) was an advocate for the independence of the Philippines from the United States who collaborated with Japan. became leader of the Ganap Party which contested the 1941 elections (although Ramos himself was imprisoned during the vote). During the Japanese occupation this group became part of the KALIBAPI governing coalition, whilst Ramos formed the Makapili, a militant youth movement that aimed to limit the power of José P. Laurel and to provide soldiers for Japan. The followers of Ramos and his ally Artemio Ricarte were eventually armed by the Japanese in December 1944 by which time the Americans had already landed. Accounts differ on what happened to Ramos after the fall of the Philippines; some claim that he was killed in an airplane crash in Baguio along with the retreating Japanese. As well as his political activism, Ramos was also noted as a writer of poetry with a collection Mga Agam-agam at Iba Pang Tula due for publication