León María Guerrero (diplomat) explained

León María Guerrero III
President:Ferdinand Marcos
Office:Ambassador of the Philippines to Yugoslavia
Birth Name:León María Ignacio Agapito Guerrero y Francisco
Birth Date:24 March 1915
Birth Place:Ermita, Manila, Philippine Islands
Death Place:Manila, Philippines
Nationality:Filipino
Spouse:Anita Escaño Corominas
Margaret Rose Burke
Alma Mater:Ateneo de Manila University
Philippine Law School
Occupation:Diplomat, writer
Profession:Lawyer
Website:www.guerreropublishing.com
Successor4:Melquiades Gamboa
Successor3:Luis Gonzalez
Predecessor4:José E. Romero
Predecessor3:Pedro Hernaez
Office4:Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of the Philippines to the Court of St. James
Office3:Ambassador of the Philippines to Spain
Office2:Ambassador of the Philippines to India
Office1:Ambassador of the Philippines to Mexico
Honorific Suffix:GCrM KGCR
Termstart:1977
Termend:1980
Termstart1:1973
Termend1:1977
President1:Ferdinand Marcos
Termstart2:1966
Termend2:1973
President2:Ferdinand Marcos
Termstart3:April 13, 1962
President3:Carlos P. Garcia
Diosdado Macapagal
Ferdinand Marcos
President4:Ramon Magsaysay
Carlos P. Garcia
Diosdado Macapagal
Termstart4:1954
Termend4:1962
Termend3:June 12, 1966
Office5:Undersecretary for the Department of Foreign Affairs
President5:Ramon Magsaysay
Termstart5:1954
Termend5:?

León María Ignacio Agapito Guerrero y Francisco, (March 24, 1915 – June 24, 1982), better known simply as Leon Ma. Guerrero III, was a Filipino diplomat and novelist, and was one of the foremost Filipino nationalists of his era. A partner in the law practice of senator Claro M. Recto, he became Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs during the Magsaysay administration. His then controversial advocacy of Asia for the Asians and espousal of a realistic re-examination of relations with the United States are now commonly accepted as being ahead of their time.

Early life

Leoni, as his family called him, was born on 24 March 1915 in Ermita, Manila to one of the nation's most prominent families.[1] [2] [3] [4] His parents were Dr. Alfredo León Guerrero and Filomena Francisco, the first Filipino woman pharmacist. His sister, Carmen Guerrero Nakpil, would also be grow up to be a journalist and one of the most preeminent figures in Philippine letters.

His paternal grandfather was León María Guerrero y Leogardo, a distinguished botanist, Malolos Congress delegate and member of the first Philippine Assembly. His maternal grandfather was Gabriel Beato Francisco, a journalist who had been manager of El Comercio, the foremost mercantile newspaper during the Spanish regime.

Student Years

During enrolment for high school, Guerrero met Horacio de la Costa, who was hailing from Tayabas, Quezon. The two of them would become very close friends later on. In his high school days, Leoni had studied under the Classical Latin Programme as well as English literature and composition, algebra, American history and civics, Philippine history and government, economics, religion, public speaking (including debate and military drills) and physical science.[5] Due to his meritorious achievements, his mother would put his medals in a box and safekept it in an aparador.

It was through the Guidon, the student publication of the Ateneo de Manila University, that Leoni, Horacio de la Costa and Jesus A. Paredes, Jr. had cemented their lifelong friendship. Initially, the three of them were staffs, but later on became the publication's editors.[6]

Post-Student Years

In 1938, he married Anita Corominas of Cebu. She was the daughter of Don Jose Corominas and Doña Paz Escaño. Her maternal grandparents were Don Fernando Escaño and Doña Agustina Faelnar. Her niece was married to the son of José E. Romero, the first Philippine ambassador to the Court of St. James's.

In 1954, Guerrero was sworn in as Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs by then-President Ramon Magsaysay and Vice President-elect Carlos P. Garcia. He, also succeeded Felipe Neri as the president's special adviser in foreign affairs.[7]

Later life

On retirement he was the country's senior career diplomat, having served as ambassador in London, Madrid, New Delhi, Mexico City and Belgrade. On June 19, 1982, only a few days before he died, he received the, Gawad Mabini, the highest award in the Philippine Foreign Service.

He held the rank of Knight Grand Cross of the Knights of Rizal. Among his many works are internationally acclaimed translations of José Rizal's Noli Me Tángere and El filibusterismo. He also wrote a biography of Rizal titled The First Filipino.

Works

Translations

Honors and awards

Grand Cross (Dakilang Kamanong) of the Gawad Mabini, 1982[8]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Guerrero , León Maria III . León María Guerrero III . The First Filipino: A Biography of Jose Rizal . National Historical Institute of The Philippines . 1963 . Manila .
  2. Book: Nakpil , Carmen Guerrero . Carmen Guerrero Nakpil . Myself, Elsewhere . Circe Communications Inc. . December 2006 . San Juan, Manila . 191 . 978-971-93760-0-2.
  3. Fernandez, Erwin S. (2017). The Diplomat-Scholar: A Biography of Leon Ma. Guerrero. ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute.
  4. Guerrero, D. (2010). LMG. The Leon Ma. Guerrero Anthology. Guerrero Publishing.
  5. Fernandez 2017, p. 31
  6. Fernandez 2017, p. 32
  7. Book: Fernandez, Edwin. The Diplomat-Scholar: A Biography of Leon Ma. Guerrero. ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute. 2017. 133.
  8. Web site: Gawad Mabini. Official Gazette.
  9. Web site: Our Story. Knights of Rizal.