José E. Romero
José E. Romero (3 March 1897 – 23 October 1978) was a statesman from the Philippines. From 1931, he served as a member of the Philippine House of Representatives for the second district of Negros Oriental. When the National Assembly of the Philippines effectively replaced the Senate and the House of Representatives in 1935, he continued as an Assemblyman until 1941. After the war he served in various government posts as Philippine Ambassador to the Court of St. James's in the United Kingdom, Secretary of the Department of Education, and chairman of the Rizal Centennial Commission.
Personal life
Romero was born 3 March 1897, one of three children born to Francisco Romero Sr., a retainer of the Tabacalera in Bais, and Josefa Calumpang Muñoz, daughter of Tanjay gobernadorcillo Don José Teves Muñoz and Doña Paula Calumpang.[1]
In 1922, Romero completed his higher education at Silliman Institute and the University of the Philippines with a Bachelor of Laws degree.[2]
He married Pilar Guzmán Sinco, a schoolteacher and sister of University of the Philippines president and Foundation University founder Vicente Sinco, and had one child:
- Eddie Romero, National Artist of the Philippines for Cinema and Broadcast Arts
After the premature death of his first wife, he married Elisa Zuñiga Villanueva on 6 September 1930 and had seven children:
- Maria Luisa Romero (11 November 1931 – 9 June 1987), married to Pelayo Valera Gabaldón, grandson of Filipino statesman Isauro Gabaldón and nephew of Ramon Valera[3], National Artist of the Philippines for Fashion Design.
- Jose Emiterio Romero Jr. (born 4 May 1934), former Philippine ambassador to Italy; permanent representative to the Food and Agriculture Organization and the International Fund for Agricultural Development; former executive director of the Common Fund for Commodities; former chairman of the Philippine Coconut Authority.
- Teresita Romero (died in 1992), married in 1961 to lawyer Ricardo J. Romulo, son of Filipino statesman Carlos P. Romulo.
- Ernesto Romero, president of the Georgetown Club of the Philippines.
- Rodolfo Romero, laywer and journalist.
- Racquel Romero, Philippine diplomat and civil servant.
- George Albert Romero
Political career
Romero was elected to the House of Representatives in 1931. In 1934, he became majority floor leader and delegate to the Constitutional Convention. In 1935, he became a member of the National Assembly during the Philippines' time as a Commonwealth. In 1939, Romero called for an indefinite suspension of the planned 1946 Philippine independence during a meeting convoked by then President Manuel L. Quezon to consider how best to secure the safety of the Philippines under the threat of World War II.[4] He completed his service in 1941.
On 9 November 1949, Romero was received by the Court of St. James's as the first Minister of the Philippine Legation to the UK thereby setting up relations between the two countries. The legation was later on upgraded to embassy status with Romero serving as the first Philippine Ambassador to the UK. He ended his term in 1953.
References
- ↑ Merlie M. Alunan; Bobby Flores Villasis; Negros Oriental Centennial Foundation (1993). Kabilin: legacies of a hundred years of Negros Oriental. Negros Oriental Centennial Foundation. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
- ↑ "Jose E. Romero". Government of the Philippines. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
- ↑ "National Artist - Ramon Valera". National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Retrieved 2017-08-03.
- ↑ Simms, William Philip (28 September 1939). "Filipinos Shy at Complete Independence". The Pittsburgh Press. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
Further reading
- Romero, José E. (1979). Not So Long Ago: a Chronicle of My Life, Times, and Contemporaries. Alemar-Phoenix Pub. House.