Liana Romulo is the daughter of the General’s youngest son, Bobby. When she’s not poring over her grandfather’s papers and trying to date old photographs, she is likely to be practicing Ashtanga yoga, hunting through bookstores, or recommending her favorite dishes to friends at Romulo Café. She lives in the Philippines but likes to wander the world, and has lived in Thailand, Belgium, and the United States. The pieces she writes for this site give her immense satisfaction, though she has also published half a dozen books for kids (available on Amazon and select bookstores worldwide).
CPR’s life traced an extraordinary pattern of starting out in a career, topping it, and then moving on to the next. The English professor became the university president; the soldier became a general; the cub reporter became a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist; and the diplomat became an ambassador, a foreign secretary, even “Mr. United Nations.”
Lolo Carlos and two-year-old Liana
So many accomplishments in one lifetime! No wonder his great-grandchildren are confused. I made the site for them. I created it, too, for future generations who might need some bolstering in order to own up to being Filipino, in the hopes that they will prove worthy custodians of a nation whose right to independence CPR so tirelessly pursued. It is also for second- and third-generation Filipinos living overseas who’d like to feel a connection to their roots.
Most of all, this site is for my irrepressible grandfather, whose wisdom, words, and wit do not belong in a cardboard box or even a dusty old archive. Although to me he was just Lolo—the gourmet who took me out for fancy dinners, the giver of dolls from every country, the eater of too much ice cream, the storyteller always interested in hearing about my horseback-riding adventures—I am ever mindful of the legacy he left behind, and I do find myself wholly wrapped up in his vision of a peaceful, borderless world. He described it as “the human family on a tiny planet” in his farewell address to the United Nations. Though not quite seventeen, even I could understand that.
I sat up in the gallery spellbound as he delivered his swan song before the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations. It was November 1983, and my brother and I were on Thanksgiving break from boarding school. We’d seen Lolo speak a million times before, but this speech was different. It was ominous, gloomy . . . filled with despair.
“I do not think the world has much time,” he said darkly. “I do not think it has much time to escape the momentum toward self-destruction upon which it seems set.” Weeping openly, he asked what it would take to “galvanize us into the necessary steps and actions to preserve the world against catastrophe.” My brother sat next to me, fidgeting uneasily in his seat.
Foreign Minister of the Philippines Carlos P. Romulo addressing the UN General Assembly during its 37th regular session, September 27, 1982; where Imre Hollai of Hungary was elected as president.
A rousing ovation followed as dignitaries from all over the world—Africa, India, Europe, the USSR—got to their feet, visibly moved. They rushed to pay their respects, a line suddenly forming, snaking around the assembly hall. The ovation continued, unabated, until every last one of the delegates from 154 member nations had shaken his hand; and at the end of what seemed to me at least thirty minutes we gave him a final burst of applause.
This man, my grandfather, was the last surviving signatory of the United Nations Charter. Everywhere we went people knew him, people loved him, and people bowed down to him. But here at the final curtain he was not basking in the glory of his achievements, as one might have expected; rather, he was lamenting his failures and those of the United Nations. “Yes, I have regrets,” he said, his face streaked with tears. “I regret that during these years—1945 to 1983—not more progress has been made in living up to the necessities of a unitary globe.”
I felt sad for my poor old lolo, nearly eighty-six, whose simple wish was for everyone to live together in peace: “The human family on a tiny planet.” Broken down into such basic language, it seemed to me like a reachable goal, a very possible dream. Yet today I find myself, all grown up, surrounded by war and conflict. Twenty-six years later this dream still eludes us.
It is therefore in the spirit of building a kinder world populated by more compassionate people that I dedicate this online forum to my loving grandfather—to honor him, to bring to light his ideas . . . to propagate peace.
Sincerely yours,
Liana Romulo
December 15, 2009
Tags: Anton Romulo, Farewell address, Grandfather, Liana Romulo, Peace, United Nations, United Nations Charter, Welcome letter
great site, liana. thank you very much.
I always admire him, my inspiration to survive in this world of challenges..I am always proud being a Filipino. Thanks.
Great tribute to your Lolo, Liana. I read I Walked with Heroes when I was in third year High School (1971). I read three other books of CPR in later years: Last Man Off Bataan (I Saw the Philippines Fall), Magsaysay of the Philippines and Crusade in Asia and a collection of his articles compiled by F. Sionil Jose of Solidaridad Publishing. “I Am a Filipino” was always a great declamation piece when I was in the grades.
26 April, 2010
Super job in keeping alive the memory of a truly great man (a far cry from today’s headliners) and a compassionate uncle. My memory of your lolo, while many, dates back to the liberation of Manila when I first saw him in khaki uniform with the insignia of a one-star general; and what looked like a 45 caliber revolver in a holster tucked right under his armpit. Yes, he waded ashore in Leyte with Gen. Doug MacArthur and was soon in war-raved Manila reuniting with his siblings (my mother, Josefina, among them). Since I was only five years old at the time, I could only touch his butt. By the way, thanks for posting our family photo taken in Camiling at the Kiping residence barely a few months before the Japanese invation. Again, congratulations. I can see you have the writing skills of your lolo Carlos, and your dad whose columns I read every now and then. Tito Louie
I was with BusinessDay (now BusinessWorld) and was to leave the Philippines on July 22, 1985 to join Riyadh Daily (folded up on Dec. 31, 2003) as sub-editor when I was invited to the press conference at the Dusit Hotel for the establishment of a Carlos P. Romulo Medical Center. As expected, CPR talked on the occasion. He said that others were approaching him for a memorial park and, I quote him, he said, “Wait till I am gone”, or something to that effect. I also asked him on the same occasion if it was possible to have reprints of his “I Walked with Heroes” and he said someone owned the rights to it. He was indeed a remarkable man.
Congratulations for your having a 1 in a milion Lolo -
A super site for a man whose dedication to the country, and love for all, knew no bounds. Sadly, we won’t ever see statesmen of anywhere near his caliber again. He is with friends; and they are truly *the* generation to emulate.
I met him and interviewed him with a classmate sometime in February, 1972. Ambassador Guillermo Sison made it possible to squeeze in his busy schedule in between courtesy calls of foreign dignitaries. I will always remember talking with him and experiencing the humility of a great man. He gave us his autobiography ” I walked with Heroes” which he autographed. We did have our pictures taken but I don’t know what happened to it. The book, which was his only remaining copy at that time , was given to our teacher in Literature, Ms. Carmelita Dimzon, who is now administrator of OWWA. I do hope she still has the book, as I never get to ask her again.
I hope I can get a copy of his appointment book where I am sure an entry of that significant interview happened. Will that be ever possible? My gratitude to the General.
Hi Liana,
I found your site while researching the centennial book I am writing for the Rotary Club of Oakland, California, the third oldest in the world. Thank you for sharing your grandfather’s history and writing so eloquently and compassionately about the man. I am inspired.
What a great man, a great Rotarian, and a great message.
All my best to you!
Linda
Liana, you are blessed to have a lolo like him. He is blessed to have someone like you to continue his legacy even in your own little way. However, the power of online will make “little” not so little anymore as it will reach more than newspapers or magazine can. It would be nice to meet you in person and share about your lolo’s dreams and achievements, which gave me the same feeling while watching “Independence Day”.
A BEAUTIFUL tribute Liana. He inspires us all to be better people.