By Alec Go
Former Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Albert Del Rosario has passed away, the DFA confirmed on Tuesday, April 18.
He was 83.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs mourns the passing of former Secretary Albert F. Del Rosario, while en route to San Francisco,” the DFA statement read.
The DFA said Del Rosario was a “staunch advocate of protecting and advancing national security and promoting the rights and welfare of Filipinos both in the Philippines and abroad.”
The late secretary served as the country’s ambassador to the United States from 2001 to 2006.
He served as the DFA secretary from February 2011 to March 2016, during the term of the late President Benigno Aquino III.
“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,” current DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo said in a social media post.
In a separate statement, House Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto said Del Rosario “was eloquent in speech and refined in manners.”
“There was no better advocate of Philippine interest, no braver defender of our OFWs, no bolder champion of our sovereignty than him when he was the Republic’s top diplomat,” he said.
“Whether it was to cooperate with governments or contest their actions, he articulated our position in a convincing but dignified way, earning for him the admiration of peers, and for the country the respect of nations,” he added. – gb
