Albert Del Rosario, ex-top diplomat who won Philippines' maritime case vs China, dies at 83

MANILA, Philippines (Updated, 1:12 p.m.) — Former Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert del Rosario — who played a key role in securing the landmark Hague ruling that invalidated China’s expansive claims in the West Philippine Sea — has passed away. He was 83 years old.

The Management Association of the Philippines, a business group, announced the passing of its former president on Tuesday, April 18. Del Rosario — also a businessman — was a MAP member for 45 years.

Prior to his appointment as foreign affairs secretary under the late Benigno Aquino III, Del Rosario served as Philippine Ambassador to the United States under former President Gloria Arroyo’s administration.

“He was a consummate diplomat and an inspiring leader who led the DFA with integrity and unwavering commitment to public service,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said in a statement on Tuesday.

“You will be missed, Mr. Secretary,” Manalo said of his former boss.

Del Rosario, the diplomat

Del Rosario served as the secretary of foreign affairs beginning February 2011 before resigning in March 2016 due to health reasons. His term was supposed to end in June, the same time as Aquino’s.

The DFA described him as a “staunch advocate” of protecting Filipinos here and abroad. Under his term as foreign affairs chief, Del Rosario led the evacuation of Filipinos working in war-torn countries such as Libya and was also on the frontline of negotiations for the case of Mary Jane Veloso, an overseas Filipino worker who was put on death row in Indonesia after being caught smuggling heroin into the country.

The Philippines filed its case to invalidate China’s expansive claims across the South China Sea at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2014. The court’s decision on the case was released months after Del Rosario’s resignation in May 2016.

Despite stepping down from the post, Del Rosario continued to actively engage in discussions on the West Philippine Sea. He also criticized the foreign policy thrust of President Rodrigo Duterte – whom Del Rosario said left a “shameful legacy” after Duterte “quickly shelved the Arbitral Award” in exchange for Chinese investments.

As the country’s envoy to the US, a position he held beginning 2001, del Rosario secured a $1.2 billion funding assistance to the Philippines along with other business opportunities such as investments into the country’s Business Process Outsourcing Industry, among others. He was reportedly recalled after disagreements with Arroyo.

Del Rosario, the businessman

Del Rosario has a vast experience in the private sector. Stratbase ADR Institute notes that before he entered public service, Del Rosario was on the board of directors of “over 50 firms.”

Aside from his company Gotuaco, del Rosario Insurance Brokes, he was chairman of Stratbase and the Makati Foundation for Education. He also served as president of the Philippine Telecommunications Investment Corp.

He was MAP President in 2007, while he was also conferred the MAP Management Man of the Year in 2014.

Del Rosario graduated from New York University with a Bachelors Degree in Economics.

He is survived by his wife, Gretchen de Venecia, and their five children.