As foreign secretary, Albert del Rosario spearheaded a case against China at an international tribunal and won it
In this file picture taken on July 16, 2019, former foreign affairs secretary Albert del Rosario attends a forum in Manila. Del Rosario, the Philippines’ former foreign minister who stood up to Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea, has died, the foreign affairs department said on April 18, 2023. (Photo: AFP)
Filipino Catholics have mourned the death of former foreign affairs secretary Albert del Rosario.
The 83-year-old Del Rosario, who is best remembered for pulling China to international court over the West Philippine Sea dispute during his stint as the Philippine foreign secretary, was on his way to the US for medical treatment when he died on April 18.
Prior to his stint with the government, Del Rosario, who was born in the national capital Manila in 1939, was a well-known business magnate in the insurance and shipping industries. He served as Philippine ambassador to Washington from 2001 to 2006 and reportedly resigned due to disagreements with the government.
Later, he was given the foreign secretary’s post by the administration of President Benigno Aquino III.
Society of Divine Word missionary Father Flavie Villanueva praised Del Rosario for his “humble and gentle” way and for his “unblemished” integrity.
“You are an inspiration and you will surely be missed, Sir,” Villanueva told UCA News.
As foreign secretary, Del Rosario spearheaded a case filed by the Philippines against China at an international arbitral tribunal in The Hague in 2013.
Three years later in 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration invalidated China’s claims and gave exclusive rights to Filipino fishermen to fish in the West Philippine Sea.
A group of fishermen, who received Del Rosario’s aid as foreign affairs chief, claimed that he would not be forgotten because of the West Philippine Sea case that the country won at The Hague.
Later on, however, former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte called the ruling “just a piece of paper” that “he would throw away” in the garbage bin.
The former diplomat criticized Duterte’s “defeatist” attitude and the president, in turn, hinted at filing treason charges against the former ambassador.
As foreign affairs chief, Del Rosario was known for not claiming any of his salaries while in public service.
“So humble and down-to-earth and just so many will know, he did not get his salary while in government. Not only that, I was lucky to have joined him on an important international meeting abroad, an official trip, but he spent his own personal money,” former audit commissioner Heidi Mendoza told UCA News.
The former diplomat also served as a convener of the opposition group Sambayan that sought to unify opposition votes against incumbent President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.
He criticized the attempts by Marcos’ supporters to use social media to spread fake news.
“In the Philippines… our politicians have invested in troll farms that seek to manipulate public opinion by giving ‘alternative facts’… Social media platforms are being used to change the narrative of Filipino history,” the former diplomat said in his speech during the launch of the coalition in Australia on May 29, 2021.
An economics graduate of New York University, Del Rosario was among the rare breed of political appointees in the Philippines who gained the confidence of different heads of state from opposing camps.
Though best known for his work in government, Del Rosario was a longtime businessman who also served the common people.
“Ambassador Del Rosario was a balance of capitalism with a heart for the poor. He encouraged our group to support a cancer foundation in the Philippines by giving a substantial sum to poor cancer patients,” Manila Royal Business Club executive secretary Harold Paras told UCA News.
Paras said they raised more than 5 million pesos (US$90,909) which they gave to the Philippine General Hospital in 2001 for the benefit of cancer patients living below the poverty line.
Oncologist Drake De Guzman claimed Del Rosario’s donation helped poor cancer patients in government-owned hospitals.
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