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Benjamin "Kokoy" Trinidad Romualdez (September 24, 1930 – February 21, 2012) was a Filipino politician who served as
Governor of Leyte The governor of Leyte is the local chief executive of the Philippine province of Leyte (province), Leyte. List References {{Provincial governors in the Philippines Governors of Leyte (province) Governors of provinces of the Ph ...
and later appointed as ambassador to the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, China and
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
. He was a younger brother to former first lady
Imelda Romualdez Marcos Imelda Romualdez Marcos (; born Imelda Remedios Visitacion Trinidad Romualdez; July 2, 1929) is a Filipino politician who served as the First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, wielding significant political power during the dictator ...
and the father of House Majority Leader
Martin Romualdez Ferdinand Martin Gomez Romualdez (, born November 14, 1963) is a Filipino businessman, lawyer and politician serving as the Speaker of the House of Representatives since July 25, 2022. He is also serving as the Representative for the 1st di ...
.


Personal life

The son of the late Vicente Orestes Romuáldez, a former dean of the law school of St. Paul’s College in Tacloban City, Kokoy Romualdez began his career in politics after serving as an assistant of then Speaker Daniel Romualdez from 1957 to 1961. He was a younger brother to former First Lady
Imelda Marcos Imelda Romualdez Marcos (; born Imelda Remedios Visitacion Trinidad Romualdez; July 2, 1929) is a Filipino politician who served as the First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, wielding significant political power during the dictato ...
and the father of House Majority Leader
Martin Romualdez Ferdinand Martin Gomez Romualdez (, born November 14, 1963) is a Filipino businessman, lawyer and politician serving as the Speaker of the House of Representatives since July 25, 2022. He is also serving as the Representative for the 1st di ...
. He was married to Juliette Gomez and children, Daniel, a practicing architect in New York, and partner Michael; Benjamin Philip, president and chief executive officer of Benguet Corp., who is married to Inquirer president and CEO Maria Alexandra; Ferdinand Martin, who is married to Yedda Marie; Marean, an investment banker, and husband Thomas; sisters
Imelda Marcos Imelda Romualdez Marcos (; born Imelda Remedios Visitacion Trinidad Romualdez; July 2, 1929) is a Filipino politician who served as the First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, wielding significant political power during the dictato ...
, Alita Martel, Conchita Yap and brothers Alfredo and Armando.


Political life

Romualdez embarked on his own career in the diplomatic service and in politics spanning more than 20 years. He served several terms as Leyte governor. His brother-in-law, President Ferdinand Marcos appointed him as ambassador to China, Saudi Arabia and the United States while serving as Leyte governor until 1986, when his family went into exile following the
People Power Revolution The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, was a series of popular demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a sustained campaign of c ...
. He was later elected as a member of the
Batasang Pambansa The Batasang Pambansa Complex, or simply the Batasan (), is the seat of the House of Representatives of the Philippines. It is located along the Batasan Road in Batasan Hills, Quezon City. The complex was initially the home of the Batasang ...
in 1984 but preferred to remain as ambassador to the United States, therefore was disqualified to sit in the parliament. He was instrumental in the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and the People’s Republic of China in the 1970s, becoming Manila’s first ambassador to Beijing. Known for his organizational skills, Romualdez paved the way for the state visits of President Marcos to various countries, including the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
.


Death

He died on the afternoon of February 21, 2012 of
cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
, at
Makati Medical Center Makati Medical Center (MMC), also known as Makati Med, is a tertiary hospital in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines with more than 600 beds. The hospital was founded on May 31, 1969. The hospital is owned and operated by Medical Doctors Inc., a ...
in Makati, Philippines at the age of 81.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Romualdez, Benjamin 1930 births 2012 deaths Ambassadors of the Philippines to China Ambassadors of the Philippines to Saudi Arabia Ambassadors of the Philippines to the United States Governors of Leyte (province) Kilusang Bagong Lipunan politicians Nacionalista Party politicians Benjamin Members of the Batasang Pambansa