CEBU, Philippines - Award-winning journalist and lawyer Napoleon Rama, who was a cellmate of former Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. during the martial law years, died last Sunday at the age of 92.
According to his nephew, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, his uncle was recently brought to the hospital after suffering a stroke.
The suspended mayor said his uncle’s wake will be held at Forbes Park in Makati City and that their family has yet to set the date for his burial.
Napoleon Rama was the surviving son of Don Vicente Rama, who was known as the “Father of Cebu City” because he authored the law that created the city’s charter.
“The Rama family is in mourning because he had left us a lot of very beautiful memories, from being an uncle you can hardly hear kasaba nga kasaba jud, but you will be hearing wisdom, guidance, political advises from him ug maayo kaayo mosuwat, we are very proud of him,” said the mayor.
Napoleon was a former publisher and columnist of Manila Bulletin from 1978 to 2007. He received various awards as a journalist.
Among his awards were the “Journalist of the Year” in 1959 when he was working at the Philadelphia Bulletin in the United States and the Premio Zobel in 1992.
He was also a member of the 1986 Constitutional Commission.
Mayor Rama shared some of his unforgettable memories with his uncle.
“When he is around Cebu City, I always offer myself as his driver, and being a driver of Napoleon, I made a lot of observations, I see his work of ethics, he is very industrious and very focus but the character of being soft-spoken have always been the things I will always remember,” said Rama.
He said his uncle was the one who encouraged him to pursue politics and be concerned about housing.
“At my end, he always reminded me about housing, that’s why I’m very much concern about housing,” he said.
“He is my idol in many other things, he will always be remembered,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Cebu Citizens-Press Council, through its executive director, lawyer Pachico A. Seares, issued a statement commending Rama.
“Napoleon G. Rama doubted if Ferdinand Marcos would declare military rule. Marcos, Rama wrote, must have the “indubitable loyalty” of the armed forces and “a substantial popular support,” the kind given to Hitler and Mussolini. Marcos was “not quite sure” if he would get that,” the CCPC said.
“His writings in the “Free Press” put him in the list of “actual and potential threats to the state,” along with such Cebuano colleagues as Juan Mercado who also was based in Manila and Resil Mojares who wrote in Cebu,” it added. (FREEMAN)