Opposition leader Benigno Aquino’s assassination in August 1983 ushered in the Philippine People Power Revolution of 1986. His killing, probably by government agents, generated intense public opposition to Ferdinand Marcos’s dictatorship and made it possible for his widow, Corazon Aquino, to rise to power.
General Romulo died only two months before Aquino became chief executive and Marcos went into exile. In his final days, all too aware of Filipinos’ growing discontent, Romulo worried that the nation—bankrupt and fast deteriorating—was headed for a bloody revolution. This letter, written by Romulo’s third son, Ricardo, discourages him from resigning from public service, as doing so at such a critical juncture would have had negative repercussions on the already battered economy.
At the time Ricardo wrote the letter, many of Romulo’s anti-Marcos friends and associates were urging him to resign. At the same time, the government was pressuring him to defend Marcos. Concerned about the vilification that would certainly be directed at his father if he did in fact resign, and its effect on him given his advanced age (Romulo was eighty-five at the time), Ricardo counseled him, essentially, to try to stay out of the fray.
(The quote at the end of the letter is from a famous homily entitled Second Spring by John Henry Cardinal Newman of England.)
Romulo took his son’s advice and did not resign immediately despite his poor health. He did, however, start to take steps to retire, which culminated in his December resignation letter (below). He also made known his resentment that Aquino’s assassination destroyed all his work in the US promoting Philippine interests, refused to sign a paid New York Times advertisement defending the Marcos government, and he paid his respects at Aquino’s wake.
“Whoever committed the murder made a big mistake,” he said in an interview with The Washington Post, while undergoing dialysis, in December 1983. “Whoever maneuvered that crude way is blameworthy. My only hope is that the guilty party is discovered and properly punished.”
Tags: Aquino assassination, Benigno Aquino, John Henry Cardinal Newman, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Resignation, Ricardo J. Romulo
beautifully put together Liana , i can feel Lolos voice in the letter.he was in a quandary with the President Marcos.Marcos was a genius with handling or managing relations with men of importance to him .He manipulated the General to New York just before declaring Martial law and that September morning called the apartment in the Waldorf Astoria . i answered the telephone at 3am. or 4 am . and woke up Lolo . He was jolted by the news from the president himself that he had declared Martial rule .Lolo gave his standard “God Dammit” and slammed the phone .Lolo had no control of the situation .but had to control the situation what a situation .
Thank you for this forwarded mesage, Liana! Many thoughts and memories came up as I was reading Atty. Dick Romulo’s sage advice to his Dad, and as I was reading the General’s letter of resignation to Marcos. As you know, I was with CPR from 1980 to 1984 when Marcos finally accepted his resignation. [He recommended Arturo Tolentino who took over form him as Foreign Minister then.] Altho I had known about his many attempts to resign, this is the first time for me to read his letter of resignation — and the wordings and sentiments are true, patented CPR. This forwarded message will greatly help me in my attempt to gather materials for my planned memoires as an officer in the DFA – a great length of which I am sure will deal on my 4 memorable years with the General. Thank you!
History of the Philippines is part of His story or better yet… he is part of the history that we should never forget …but should emulate.A gentleman of first rate a World class Stateman.