| Honorific-Prefix: | His Excellency |
| Jose Santiago "Chito" Santa Romana | |
| Office: | Ambassador of the Philippines to China |
| Termstart: | September 28, 2016 |
| Termend: | April 19, 2022 |
| President: | Rodrigo Duterte |
| Predecessor: | Erlinda Basilio |
| Successor: | Jaime FlorCruz |
| Birth Name: | Jose Santiago Santa Romana |
| Birth Date: | 15 January 1948 |
| Birth Place: | Manila, Philippines |
| Death Place: | Huangshan, Anhui Province, People's Republic of China |
Jose Santiago "Chito" Santa Romana (January 15, 1948 – April 19, 2022), was a Philippine journalist and diplomat who served as that country's ambassador to China.[1] [2]
Born in Manila, Romana was the grandson of Senator Santiago Lucero, for whom he was named.[3] [4]
As a young man, Romana studied at De La Salle University and was active in the anti-government demonstrations known as the "First Quarter Storm". In 1971, as a student, he visited the People's Republic of China as the head of a Philippine youth delegation. However, during this period, the then Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos began to suppress the Philippine communists, and Romana was forced to stay in China.[2] After that, Romana studied at the Beijing Language Institute (now Beijing Language and Culture University) and later became a translation editor.
In 1987, Romana went to the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in the United States to pursue a master's degree in international relations. After graduation, due to the continued instability in the Philippines, Romana returned to China. From 1989 to 2010, Romana served as a long-term reporter for the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in Beijing. In 2011, Romana returned to the Philippines after 40 years and joined the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement in 2012.[5]
On September 28, 2016, Romana was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as the Philippine Ambassador to China, with concurrent accreditation to North Korea and Mongolia.[6] Romana presented his credentials in March of the following year. He "played a key role in repairing once-tattered bilateral relations".[2]
On April 18, 2022, Romana died of illness while undergoing quarantine for COVID-19 in Huangshan, Anhui Province while serving as the ambassador to China, at the age of 74.[7] [8] After his death, he was described as "an old friend of the Chinese people".[9]