Rafael "Liling" Reyes Roces Jr. (October 12, 1912 – August 30, 1944) was a Filipino journalist, writer, patriot,

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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

Avenida Rizal Rizal Avenue, also known as J. Rizal Avenue, Avenida Rizal or simply Avenida, is one of Manila's main thoroughfares, running with two to six lanes from its Santa Cruz and Quiapo districts to the Bonifacio Monument (Monumento) Circle in Caloo ...

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

) and Inocencia "Enchay" Reyes. A

Manileño Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

, he studied at the Ateneo de Manila University. 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 his 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 language, Filipino: ''Pananakop ng mga Hapones sa Pilipinas''; ) occurred between 1942 and 1945, when the Empire of Japan, Japanese Empire occupied the Commonwealth of the Philippines during Wo ...

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

Kempeitai The , , was the military police of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). The organization also shared civilian secret police that specialized in clandestine and covert operation, counterinsurgency, counterintelligence, HUMINT, interrogated suspects ...

Fort Santiago Fort Santiago (; ), built in 1571, is a citadel or castle built by Spanish navigator and governor Miguel López de Legazpi for the newly established city of Manila in the Philippines. The defense fortress is located in Intramuros, the walled ci ...

. On August 30, 1944, he, 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 Journalists from Manila 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 Foreign nationals imprisoned in Japan Burials at the Manila North Cemetery