Former ambassador Rodolfo Severino passes away at age 82

Rodolfo C. Severino, former secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and father of GMA News anchor and i-Witness host Howie Severino, passed away on Friday at the age of 82.

Howie confirmed the news in a Facebook post on Friday night, and said his father had complications related to Parkinson's disease.

"I rushed back to Manila tonight to be with my father. His breathing was difficult, his blood pressure low and erratic. He was barely responsive. My son and I told him stories about some of our best times with him. Then I asked if he wanted to listen to music. He grunted what sounded like a spark of joy. I searched for a favorite from his Ateneo Glee Club days, 'Some Enchanted Evening.' Without meaning to, I played the opera version of the Broadway hit; apropos because Dad was a great opera fan. I grew up listening to it and even mimicking it. I sang along softly in my pathetic tenor. Soon after the song ended, he stopped breathing and he was gone," Howie wrote.

The elder Severino became the Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia from 1989 to 1992 and undersecretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs during the term of President Fidel V. Ramos from 1992 to 1997.

"When I was still in the Philippine Government a long time ago, I did negotiate the VFA [Visiting Forces Agreement] with the United States. But that was such a long time ago," he told this writer in an email in 2014.

He was ASEAN's 10th secretary-general from 1998 to 2002, and served as ASEAN Senior Official for the Philippines twice.

The diplomat, also a former journalist, was also the founding head of the ASEAN Studies Center and associate senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. 

While he was with IASES, he also wrote several books, among them: Southeast Asia in Search of an ASEAN Community, ASEAN, The ASEAN Regional Forum, and Where in the World is the Philippines. He also co-edited Whither the Philippines in the 21st Century?

Severino graduated from Ateneo de Manila University with a bachelor of arts degree in Humanities, and from Johns Hopskins University's School of Advanced International Studies with a master of arts degree in International Relations, the DFA said.

According to Howie, his dad "was one of the Philippines' longest-serving diplomats."

"He is a very modest man, rarely calling attention to himself. But I still recall his pride when he told me privately that he wrote the diplomatic communiqué that opened relations between the Philippines and China on our kitchen table. He is known today in diplomacy circles as one of the architects of the regional dialogue infrastructure that keeps potential adversaries talking rather than fighting. Diplomats like him are a major reason our part of the world has been relatively peaceful for decades," Howie wrote in an article for GMA News Online  back in 2014. 

Severino, who would have turned 83 on April 27, passed away quietly surrounded by his loved ones.

He is survived by his youngest child Rhoda, his wife Rowena "Weng" Romero Severino, two sons Horacio (Howie) and Rodolfo III (Kokoy), and adopted daughter Gina with the late Caridad Gorospe Severino, daughter-in-law Ipat Luna, and grandchildren Alon Severino and JJ, Angel, Anna, Anton and Elyza David, according to Howie's Facebook post.

The DFA, in a statement issued on Saturday, mourned "with deep sorrow" the passing away of Severino, recounting his stint in foreign service from 1965 to 1997. Aside from serving as ambassador to Malaysia, he was also Consul General to Houston, and was posted in Washington, D.C. and Beijing as well.

Lee Yoong Yoong, ASEAN director for community affairs, expressed condolences.

"We are deeply saddened to know that Amb. Rodolfo C. Severino Jr., former Secretary-General of ASEAN (1998-2002) passed away yesterday, April 19. We honour his astute leadership and we cherish the memories of his tremendous service to ASEAN. His passing is an immeasurable loss to the ASEAN Community. We convey our sincere condolences to his family," he said in a statement.

A wake will be held from 5 p.m. of Sunday, April 21, to 3 p.m. of Wednesday, April 24, at the Heritage Memorial Park on Bayani Road, Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City. —With a report from JP Soriano/MDM, GMA News