Former DFA Secretary Albert Del Rosario Dies at 83
He was a staunch defender of the West Philippine Sea.
(SPOT.ph) Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario has died, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday, April 18. He was 83.
Del Rosario was most known for winning the Philippines’ maritime case against China before the Arbitral Tribunal in the Hague, the Netherlands during his stint as Foreign Affairs Secretary of the late President Benigno Aquino III.
“I extend my deepest condolences to the loved ones of Secretary Albert F. Del Rosario. He was a consummate diplomat and an inspiring leader who led the DFA with integrity and unwavering commitment to public service. You will be missed, Mr. Secretary,” incumbent Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said in a tweet.
He is survived by his wife and five children.
Also read: That "Piece of Paper," or the UN Tribunal Ruling on the West Philippine Sea: A Short History
Who was Albert del Rosario?
Born in 1939, del Rosario was educated in New York with a degree in Economics.
Prior to joining the government, del Rosario’s business career spanned the insurance, banking, real estate, shipping, telecommunications, retail, pharmaceutical, and food industries for 40 years.
He had connections to the Aquinos well before he was tapped to become the Secretary of Foreign Affairs. As a leading executive in the private sector, he joined the late Corazon Aquino for presidential state visits to the United States in 1986.
He became the Philippine Ambassador to the United States under former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo from 2001 to 2006. He would resign from the position following his disagreement to the Arroyo government’s call to declare an emergency rule to suppress threats to national security.
His work for the West Philippine Sea started a year into his role as the Secretary of Foreign Affairs in 2012, when he requested for the U.S. to supply the Philippines with aircrafts and vessels to assert its sovereignty over the sea amid Chinese aggression.
Tension came to a head in 2014 when the Philippines brought a case before the Arbitral Tribunal under Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to argue against China’s nine-dash line. In 2015, del Rosario presented his statement before the Permanent Court of Arbitration called “Why the Philippines brought this case to arbitration and its importance to the region and the world" in the Hague.
For his work, Del Rosario was awarded the Tanging Dangal Award, the Order of Sikatuna, the Philippine Army Award, EDSA II Heroes Award, and an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from New York’s College of Mount Saint Vincent.
Also read: Why Get the F*ck Out is Not Enough for China to Leave West Philippine Sea