Former DFA chief Albert del Rosario dies at 83

Former Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Albert del Rosario, who spearheaded the country's successful arbitration case against China in 2016, died on Tuesday, according to his family. He was 83.

"The family of Ambassador Albert Ferreros del Rosario is deeply saddened to announce his passing today, April 18," the family said in a statement. 

"The family requests privacy during this difficult time. Details will be released at a later date," it added.

In a statement, the department said Del Rosario died while en route to San Francisco in the United States. 

Del Rosario spearheaded the successful arbitration case that resulted in the 2016 legal victory for the Philippines in connection with the South China Sea disputes.

Known for his mild manners, steady but firm policy positions, low voice and kind heart, Del Rosario has endeared himself to many DFA employees and the Philippine media.

Extending his condolences to Del Rosario's loved ones, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo described his former boss as 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," said Manalo, who once served under Del Rosario as his undersecretary for policy.

Del Rosario is survived by his wife, Gretchen, and their children.

Hardworking diplomat

Several officers and staff who worked with Del Rosario described him as a hands-on and hardworking diplomat — whether he is leading dangerous missions in war zones to oversee the evacuation of thousands of trapped Filipino workers, promoting the national interest, or defending the country's territory in the South China Sea before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.

Diplomats and employees have disclosed how Del Rosario, who is among the wealthiest Cabinet member of then-President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, has refused to collect his monthly salaries while he was serving as DFA chief.

Instead, he has quietly distributed his accumulated monthly pay equally to the more than 1,600, senior diplomats, officers and employees of the DFA as cash gifts every Christmas since he assumed the post in 2011.

Del Rosario also spent his own personal money to pay for the gasoline of the cars that he used at work and official functions, they said.

Health issues

In February 2016, Del Rosario has told then-President Aquino that he is stepping down from his post due to health reasons.

Del Rosario has long been suffering from a spinal problem, a debilitating condition, which has worsened for several months before he stepped down from office. He went on medical leave in May 2015 for a back surgery in the United States which turned unsuccessful.

His health problems were further complicated by a previously-undetected heart condition that required his doctors to hurriedly install a pacemaker to regulate his heartbeat in a Metro Manila hospital.

Despite his health concerns, Del Rosario has persisted to perform his delicate tasks, including the repatriation of large numbers of overseas Filipino workers and residents who have been trapped in conflict-torn Arab states like Libya and Syria.

Case vs. China

A vocal critic of China, Del Rosario spearheaded the filing of a landmark Philippine government arbitration case that challenged the validity of China's sprawling territorial claims in the South China Sea and sought to clarify the territorial entitlements of certain Chinese-occupied features under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas, or UNCLOS.

The Philippine arbitration case has been praised as a rules-based and internationally-accepted solution of the long-dragging conflict by several governments led by the United States, Japan, Australia, the European Union, but ignored by China, which called it "baseless" and "lacking in legal merit."

In July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands delivered a sweeping victory to the Philippines on the case it filed against China in 2013 and declared China's claim over nearly the entire South China Sea as illegal. China does not recognize the ruling and insists indisputable historic rights over nearly the entire waters.

In June 2019, Del Rosario was barred from entering Hong Kong after being held by immigration authorities for six hours. "Denied entry with no explanation after 6-hour hold," Del Rosario, who was supposed to attend a business meeting there, said then.

Resignation from Cabinet

His health condition, however, prompted him to decide to leave Aquino's Cabinet earlier than planned. He originally intended to leave government at the same time with Aquino, whose six-year term ended in June 2016, he told GMA News Online in a previous interview.

Del Rosario has told reporters he decided to set aside his businesses to serve in government out of his admiration for President Aquino, whom he describes as a man of integrity.

While in the government, Del Rosario travelled to war zones and to battle frontlines abroad to help oversee the rescue and repatriation of OFWs trapped in the crossfire.

A few days after he was appointed by Aquino as DFA chief in February 2011, Del Rosario immediately hit the ground running when he flew with a few diplomats to strife-torn Libya to lead the rescue of thousands of trapped OFWs. He traveled to Libya's frontlines twice that year.

In his first mission, Del Rosario described how his convoy passed near an area where gunshots rang out and how he prayed for the workers with him in the convoy, saying he couldn't live in peace if even one of them got hurt. They all survived.

'A thousand Hail Marys'

"I was saying a thousand Hail Marys that no harm will come to them," Del Rosario told reporters in a press conference on arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in 2011. "If one person were to get hurt, I wouldn't be able to live the rest of my life in peace."

There were many quiet negotiations to help save Filipino workers from all kinds of ordeals abroad. On many nights, Del Rosario would wake up key diplomats up and haul them to the DFA for emergency meetings, sometimes with the President, to troubleshoot sudden foreign policy contingencies.

Diplomats say Del Rosario kept them awake with coffee and burgers bought from a popular burger chain.

Mary Jane Veloso

In 2015, Del Rosario discreetly negotiated with Indonesian officials to spare Filipino worker Mary Jane Veloso from imminent execution by firing squad earlier in the year. He backed President Aquino's quiet efforts to convince Indonesia's top officials to save Veloso.

Veloso, a 30-year-old mother of two, was among the nine foreign and local death row prisoners, including Australians, scheduled to be executed by firing squad on April 29, 2015 for drug-related charges. All eight were executed, but Veloso was spared from death at the last minute.

As DFA chief, Del Rosario has also struck close friendships with his counterparts worldwide, including with then US Secretary Hillary Clinton and her successor, John Kerry, along with top ASEAN diplomats and harnessed his contacts to negotiate better security and economic arrangements for the Philippines, DFA diplomats say.

With his advocacy for a rules-based solution based on international laws on the South China Sea and other issues, Del Rosario emerged as a key and outspoken leader in the ASEAN, where some of his counterparts have traditionally taken conservative and safe but ineffective policy positions, according to diplomats.

Aside from his hyperactive foreign diplomacy work, many DFA reforms were initiated to ease public burdens, including the opening of DFA satellite offices in shopping malls to bring consular services, including passport applications, closer to the people.

Del Rosario quietly resisted the entry into the DFA of personnel endorsed by powerful politicians, a touchy and long-running issue at the department, bringing the number of those political appointees in the DFA at an all-time low during his watch. In lieu of the controversial practice, he promoted a merit-based promotion system, diplomats said.

"We tried to address problems squarely," Del Rosario told GMA News Online in a past interview. "In dealing with difficult challenges, we endeavored to resist the urge 'to kick the can down the road.'"

Del Rosario's gruesome schedule and complex workload get rewarded with the simplest thing: ice cream.

"He likes sweets,” Del Rosario’s former Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Seguis said. “I remember one time when we were at the airport in the Middle East bound for Manila, he was craving for ice cream at 2 in the morning.”

The best reward for Del Rosario, though, was home. There, reunited with his family and a step removed from a world of troubles, the erstwhile top Philippine diplomat and crisis troubleshooter would settle down nice and comfy and turn into just like any other doting grandfather.

"I talk with them a lot and they give me a lot of wisdom," he once said with a big laugh.

Tributes pour in for Del Rosario

Meanwhile, independent think tank Stratbase ADR Institute mourned the passing of its chairperson.

“It has been an honor to work with a leader who personified the highest level of statesmanship, integrity, and love of country that has inspired us to sustain the strategically critical advocacies of the Stratbase Albert del Rosario Institute for Strategic and International Studies,” the organization said in a statement.

Stratbase further described del Rosario as a “champion of democratic values and a rules-based international order to sustain lasting peace, security, and prosperity for all."

“He has fought for an independent foreign policy that prioritizes the interests of the country and of the Filipino people. He believed that diplomacy is a great equalizer in international affairs and that each state has an equal voice in the global community regardless of their political, economic, or military capabilities,” it said.

“This is a shared passion that we are committed to honor and pursue. With heartfelt gratitude and love."

Ambassador of Australia to the Philippines Hae Kyong Yu extended sympathy to the bereaved family, saying the diplomat was a “good friend” to her country.

“I’m saddened to learn of the death of former DFA Secretary Albert del Rosario. He was a good friend to Australia, and did much to deepen Australia-Philippine ties,” she said on Twitter. “Secretary del Rosario will always be remembered for his support for UNCLOS and the rules-based international order”.

Lawmakers likewise expressed condolences over the demise of del Rosario.

“I am saddened by the passing of former DFA Sec. Albert del Rosario,” said Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel.

“Sec. Albert del Rosario was a true patriot. He loved our country, courageously defended our country's interests, and made our foreign service more active and felt. He also contributed to the growth of the private sector through his contributions in the insurance sector where he was a stalwart,” he said.

“I thank the del Rosario family for sharing the love, time, and talents of their patriarch with the rest of the nation. We will forever miss the physical presence of Sec. Albert del Rosario but we will never forget his meaningful life. God bless his soul. May he rest in peace,” Pimentel added.

Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero echoed Pimentel’s remarks as he described the former diplomat as a “man of firm integrity and patriotism." 

“My sincerest condolences to the family and loved ones of former Secretary Albert Del Rosario… I had the opportunity of working with him during the Aquino administration and knew him to be a man of firm integrity and patriotism,” Escudero said.

Del Rosario will always be held in “high esteem for his firm diplomacy and dignified demeanor in fighting for the interest of our countrymen," according to Senator Grace Poe. 

“We mourn the passing of a diplomat par excellence and offer prayers for his family. We will always hold Secretary ADR in high esteem for his firm diplomacy and dignified demeanor in fighting for the interest of our countrymen,” she said.

Senator Francis Tolentino offered prayers for del Rosario, whom he said will always be remembered for his consistent stand in protecting the national territory, especially the West Philippine Sea.

Senator Risa Hontiveros said Del Rosario's leadership at the DFA “inspired in us the courage and the creativity to fight for our national interest using lawful and diplomatic means."

“Defending and protecting our rights in the WPS is an intergenerational battle, one we can win because of the work Sec. Del Rosario started, a work we will continue for the future of our country and our children,” she said.

“I have rarely met such a dignified and gentlemanly person who was also perfectly capable of fighting indefatigably for what he believed in. He preached and practiced what he called hard diplomacy. We must carry on his fight,” added Hontiveros.

Deputy Speaker and Batangas Representative Ralph Recto said there was “no better advocate of Philippine interest, no braver defender of our OFWs, no bolder champion of our sovereignty” than del Rosario when he was the country’s top diplomat.

“He was eloquent in speech and refined in manners. 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,” said Recto.

The Akbayan Party mourned the passing of a “patriot, a friend, and a defender of democracy," adding that they would continue upholding del Rosario’s memory by “continuing the struggle for a fairer, kinder, and more just nation, that sheds the light of hope upon the dreams of all." —with Sundy Locus/KBK/VBL, GMA Integrated News