Ramon J. Farolan (August 31, 1934 – May 31, 2023) was a

Philippine Air Force The Philippine Air Force (PAF) () is the aerial warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Initially formed as part of the Philippine Army as the Philippine Army Air Corps (PAAC) in 1935, the PAAC eventually saw combat ...

general, government official, diplomat and columnist.

Early life

Farolan was born on August 31, 1934, in

Baguio Baguio ( , , ), officially the City of Baguio (; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", ...

. He would finish his secondary studies at the

University of the Philippines Diliman The University of the Philippines Diliman (also called UPD; ), also referred to as UP Diliman, is a State university and college (Philippines), public, coeducational, Research university, research university located in Diliman, Quezon City, Ph ...

before attending the

Philippine Military Academy The Philippine Military Academy ( / ) also referred to by its acronym PMA is the premier military academy for Filipinos aspiring for a commission as a military officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). It was established on Decembe ...

(PMA). He graduated from the PMA in 1956. He would accomplish the Philippine Air Force Flying School Class in 1957. He would also obtain a master's degree at the

Asian Institute of Management The Asian Institute of Management (AIM) is a highly acclaimed management school and research institution located in Makati in The Philippines. Established in partnership with Harvard Business School,, AIM Historical Highlights. in 1968, it is ...

in 1975.

Career

Farolan initially served in the

Philippine Army The Philippine Army (PA) () is the main, oldest and largest branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), responsible for ground warfare. , it had an estimated strength of 143,100 soldiers The service branch was established on December ...

Quezon Quezon, officially the Province of Quezon () and historically known as Tayabas, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon Regions of the Philippines, region on Luzon. Lucena, a highly urbanized ci ...

as part of the 4th Battalion Combat Team. His unit was tasked to quell the

Hukbalahap rebellion The Hukbalahap rebellion was a rebellion staged in the Philippines by former Hukbalahap or ''Hukbong Bayan Laban sa Hapon'' () soldiers against the Philippine government. It started in 1946 after the independence of the Philippines from the Unit ...

. He would be recalled to the

(PAF) to undergo military pilot training and be an instructor at the PAF Flying School. Farolan served various roles in both the military and civilian government between 1964 and 1986. These positions included military supervisor for Customs, administrator of the Civil Aviation Authority, and commissioner of the

Bureau of Customs The Bureau of Customs (BoC or BOC; ) is a Philippine government agency that is responsible for the collecting of customs, customs duties, excise duties, and other indirect taxes in the Philippines. It is part of the Department of Finance (Philip ...

, also serving as chairman of the Board of Examiners for Customs Brokers. On February 24, 1986, Farolan was named Commanding General of the

following the

People Power Revolution The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, were a series of popular Demonstration (people), demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a ...

which deposed President

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. (September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino lawyer, politician, dictator, and Kleptocracy, kleptocrat who served as the tenth president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled the c ...

. He served until his retirement on October 8 in the same year.

Later life and death

After his retirement from the military, Farolan would serve as the Philippine Ambassador to Indonesia for two and a half years and later head the Export Processing Zone Authority for two years. He was also president of the

Philippine Football Federation The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) is the governing body of association football in the Philippines. Established as the Philippine Amateur Football Association (PAFA) in 1907, the PFF is one of the oldest national football associations in ...

. Farolan also became a columnist for ''

The Philippine Star ''The Philippine Star'' (self-styled ''The Philippine STAR'') is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines and the flagship brand of the Philstar Media Group. First published on July 28, 1986, by veteran journalists Betty Go-Belmonte, ...

'' and the ''

Philippine Daily Inquirer The ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'' (''PDI''), or simply the ''Inquirer'', is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines. Founded in 1985, it is often regarded as the Philippines' newspaper of record. The newspaper is the most awarded broad ...

''. He would write for the former in the late 1990s to the early 2000s, where he also served as president and editor-in-chief; for the latter from 2003 to 2022.

Personal life

Farolan was married to Sylvia M. Joaquin of

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...

and had three children. Farolan died on May 31, 2023.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farolan, Ramon 1934 births 2023 deaths Philippine Air Force generals Filipino columnists People from Baguio Presidents of the Philippine Football Federation University of the Philippines Diliman alumni Philippine Military Academy alumni Asian Institute of Management alumni Ambassadors of the Philippines to Indonesia