MANILA, Philippines – Former ambassador to the Holy See Howard Dee died on Wednesday, August 21, after struggling a stroke the day earlier than.
He was 94.
Dee’s dying at 2:38 pm on Wednesday was confirmed to Rappler by his grandson, Francis “Kiko” Aquino Dee, a political science lecturer on the College of the Philippines Diliman campus.
It was additionally introduced by the PHINMA Group of Corporations, in a Fb put up late Wednesday night time.
“The PHINMA Group along with the del Rosario Household and our companions within the Ramon V. del Rosario Awards, De La Salle College, Ramon V. del Rosario School of Enterprise, JCI Manila, and Asian Institute of Administration Ramon V. del Rosario Heart for Company Duty, be a part of the entire nation in mourning the passing of Ambassador Howard Dee whom we simply honored with the 2024 Ramon V. del Rosario Award for Nation Constructing,” the Filipino conglomerate with pursuits in training, cement, vitality, metal, and housing stated in a Fb put up.
“We have a good time his lifetime of real servant management and can all the time bear in mind and take to coronary heart his reminder to us all to ‘Hold the Religion. It’s the whole lot.’ Maraming-maraming salamat po, Ambassador Dee!” it added.
Dee, who served as envoy to the Vatican in the course of the Cory Aquino administration from 1986 to 1990, had simply given a speech in the course of the 2024 Ramon V. del Rosario (RVR) Nation Constructing and Siklab Awards Night time in Makati Metropolis when he suffered a stroke and was rushed to the hospital, in response to a priest who was current on the occasion.
The teams behind the RVR award had cited Dee, additionally a “distinguished businessman and philanthropist,” for “his life’s work,” which was a “testomony to his unwavering dedication to serving the Filipino individuals and selling social justice, peace, and the rights of indigenous communities.”
In his speech on Tuesday night time, August 20, Dee stated the conflict on poverty within the Philippines was nonetheless “removed from over,” and urged his RVR co-awardees to undertake the United Nations aim of eradicating excessive poverty by 2030.
“At 94, I really feel a a profound sense of peace in my coronary heart, figuring out that I’ll quickly have to offer an account of my life. Tonight, I’m reminded that the humbling present of life God has given me has served him and his individuals effectively in my easy approach,” Dee stated, recognizing the many individuals who helped him in his work, together with his household and the individuals who work in his foundations that assist the poor, notably the Assisi Growth Basis.
He devoted his award to his balae (co-father-in-law), the late senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., whose forty first dying anniversary was on the day after the awards night time. The viewers gave him a standing ovation after his speech. Ninoy’s daughter, Viel, is married to Dee’s son, Richard. The ambassador’s spouse, Betty, and a few of his kids and 12 grandchildren have been on the ceremony in The Fifth at Rockwell. (READ: The sisters Noynoy leaves behind)
Former finance secretary Ramon del Rosario Jr. and former Supreme Courtroom chief justice Artwork Panganiban offered the RVR plaque to Dee.
Launched in 2010, the RVR Award for Nation Constructing acknowledges people “who’ve contributed to nation constructing via their companies and social enterprises.”
Earlier awardees embrace Jollibee founder Tony Tan Caktiong, the late Henry Sy Sr. of the SM Group of Corporations, the late George Ty of Metrobank, famend Filipino engineer-inventor Diosdado Banatao, and telecommunications tycoon and sports activities patron Manny V. Pangilinan.
Other than serving as a diplomat after the EDSA Individuals Energy Revolution, Dee chaired the federal government’s peace panel that negotiated with communist rebels from 1993 to 1996 in the course of the Ramos administration. He was additionally the lead convenor of the 1990 Nationwide Peace Convention.
“Dee proposed a nationwide peace convention that may contain all sectors of society, together with Muslim separatists and communists, to handle these conflicts,” the RVR Award stated.
He additionally served as presidential adviser on indigenous individuals’s affairs in the course of the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration.
The RVR Award for Nation Constructing is a mission of the Junior Chamber Worldwide Manila (previously Manila Jaycees), the PHINMA group, and the Asian Institute of Administration Heart for Company Social Duty, in honor of Ramon “Monching” del Rosario Sr., the late ambassador to Japan and founding father of conglomerate Philippine Funding and Administration Consultants (PHINMA).
Dee based the nonprofit Assisi Growth Basis in 1975. “Beneath his visionary management, the muse has executed over 4,100 tasks, positively impacting the lives of greater than 10.5 million Filipinos. These initiatives span varied areas, together with training, healthcare, livelihood packages, and catastrophe aid efforts,” the RVR Awards stated.
“Opposite to his preliminary perception that poverty and lack of alternatives have been the first drivers, they discovered that the individuals have been preventing as a consequence of widespread injustice — financial, social, cultural, and judicial,” it stated.
Dee was additionally the recipient of the distinguished Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2018.
“He (Dee) is being acknowledged for his quietly heroic acts of companies to the Filipino individuals, his abiding dedication in pursuit of social justice and peace in attaining dignity and progress for the poor and his being by his deeds, a real servant of his religion and exemplary citizen of this nation,” then-Ramon Magsaysay Award Basis chairperson Senen Bacani stated.
In his acceptance speech for the Ramon Magsaysay Award, Dee stated: “We reside in the present day in a world of turmoil and uncertainty. All human establishments are in danger, our democracy, our household, our nationwide sovereignty.” (READ: PH’s Howard Dee, 5 others named 2018 Ramon Magsaysay awardees)
Dee, nonetheless, remained optimistic, saying: “The victory promised by Our Girl of Fatima is close to. Goodness and righteousness will triumph and justice and peace will reign in our land.”
His different awards embrace:
- Pontifical Order of St. Sylvester, 1985
- Ozanam Award, Ateneo de Manila, 1986
- Pius X Equestrial Order of the Grand Cross, First Class, 1988
- St. Benedict Award, San Beda School, 1989
- Gawad Mabini Award, Republic of the Philippines, 1999
- Lifetime Achievement Award, Dr. Jose Rizal Awards, 2003
In his speech on Tuesday night time, Dee stated he had “obtained many awards named after our nationwide heroes, however my solely remorse is I by no means had a chance to fulfill any of them.”
In accordance with Dee’s daughter, Marybeth, he disliked being known as “philanthropist,” which he felt had an “undertone of a hierarchy between wealthy donors and people in want.”
“He most well-liked to see himself as a social employee. We’re all equal in God’s eyes. We’re all one. It isn’t a privilege however justice and our responsibility to God and humanity to assist each other,” she was quoted within the Chinese language-Filipino neighborhood publication, Tulay.
Dee was creator of the books God’s Best Present to Mankind (1981), Mankind’s Closing Future (1992), and Dwelling the Beatitudes with St. Joseph (2004).
Dee had a bachelor in enterprise administration diploma and grasp of arts in economics (with out thesis) from the College of the East.
Dee was president of then-fledgling United Laboratories or Unilab from 1965 to 1972 and helped it develop into the Philippines’ main pharmaceutical agency. He was additionally founding chairman of the Philippine Enterprise for Social Progress, a number one company social duty group within the nation. – with a report from Paterno Esmaquel/Rappler.com
