Rafael "Liling" Reyes Roces Jr. (October 12, 1912 – August 30, 1944) is a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

journalist, writer, patriot,

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

spy, hero, and martyr. He is the son of Rafael Filomeno Roces Sr. (the publishing house owner and proprietor of the Ideal Theater on Avenida Rizal in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

) and Inocencia "Enchay" Reyes. A

Manileño Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...

, Liling Roces studied at the

Ateneo de Manila University , mottoeng = Light in the Lord , type = Private, research, non-profit, coeducational basic and higher education institution , established = December 10, 1859 , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Jesuits) , academic_aff ...

. Liling Roces married Leonor "Noring" Varona on January 13, 1937. He had two children, namely Sylvia Roces-Montilla (born January 31, 1938) and Antonio Rafael "Tony" Roces. (After Liling Roces's death, Leonor Varona later remarried with Aurelio Montinola Sr.)Rafael "Liling" Roces Jr. (b. Oct 28, 1912)
familytreemaker.genealogy.com
rocesfamily.com During the

Japanese Occupation of the Philippines The Japanese occupation of the Philippines ( Filipino: ''Pananakop ng mga Japones sa Filipinas''; ja, 日本のフィリピン占領, Nihon no Firipin Senryō) occurred between 1942 and 1945, when Imperial Japan occupied the Commonwealth of t ...

, Liling Roces spied for the American troops Commander George Rowe. After a SPYRON courier was caught by Japanese soldiers, Liling Roces, among others, were suspected of providing information to George Rowe and Lt. Commander Charles "Chick" Parsons. Liling Roces was imprisoned and tortured by the

Kempeitai The , also known as Kempeitai, was the military police arm of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1881 to 1945 that also served as a secret police force. In addition, in Japanese-occupied territories, the Kenpeitai arrested or killed those suspect ...

Fort Santiago Fort Santiago ( es, Fuerte de Santiago; fil, Kutà ng Santiago), built in 1571, is a citadel built by Spanish navigator and governor Miguel López de Legazpi for the newly established city of Manila in the Philippines. The defense fortress is lo ...

. On August 30, 1944, Liling Roces, other prisoners, and twenty-three other members of the resistance were boarded onto a truck and brought to the Cementerio del Norte (North Cemetery) of Manila. Roces and his companions were beheaded and buried in one common ground.

References

External links

* Roces, Alfredo R
Looking for Liling: A family history of World War II martyr Rafael R. Roces Jr.

rocesfamily.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Roces, Rafael R. Jr Writers from Manila Filipino writers People executed by Japanese occupation forces 1912 births 1944 deaths Ateneo de Manila University alumni Executed Filipino people Filipino torture victims People executed by Japan by decapitation Burials at the Manila North Cemetery