18 October 2004 –Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo paid tribute to the late General and former Foreign Secretary Carlos P. Romulo during a wreath laying ceremony at the Libingan Ng Mga Bayani, Fort Bonifacio this morning, ushering the observance of the 59th Anniversary of the United Nations.  Using a quote from the initial address of the late General Romulo at the foundation session of the UN with the words, “let us make this floor as the last battlefield”, Secretary Romulo honored the General for having placed great value on the collective wisdom of the world community to respond to the challenges that confront it. “As one of the founding fathers of the United Nations, General Carlos P. Romulo had placed so much faith and belief in the United Nations and its capability to effectively respond to the world’s aspirations for peace and development,” Secretary Romulo said.

In remarks following the wreath laying ceremony, Secretary Romulo said General Romulo viewed the concept of universal brotherhood as the “very price and condition of man’s survival”. “These words of the General are as relevant now as they were when first spoken decades ago,” Secretary Romulo added. The Foreign Affairs Secretary stressed that the “impulse behind the creation of the United Nations has become a more pressing reality today”.  Secretary Romulo stressed that the single most defining characteristic of our contemporary world is the global transnational character of the challenges that confront it both in the realm of international security and development. “It is quite evident that we fashion a global response to these challenges, based on consensus and bonded brotherhood,” Secretary Romulo said. According to the Foreign Secretary, consensus and brotherhood would help us succeed in creating a world that manifests the ideals of the United Nations.

Secretary Romulo added that there is more to the legacy left by the General, than the monument or even the memory of his having been a statesman and a diplomat.  He said General Romulo spoke of words that seem to “speak to our time or even to future generations; words from a mind that sought wisdom and a heart that knew compassion.”

Secretary Romulo rallied government officials especially from the DFA and the Diplomatic Corps to remain true to their commitment to the ideals of the United Nations. “By embracing the principles of the United Nation, we embrace a more hopeful future,” Secretary Romulo said.  In launching the celebration of the 59th founding anniversary of the United Nations, Secretary Romulo led in a solemn tribute tribute to “General Carlos P. Romulo and the countless and faceless men and women who toiled or continue to labor for the principles and dreams of the United Nations.”

The wreathlaying ceremony at the tomb site of General Carlos P. Romulo was also attended by Mr. Rafaello Tarroni, United Nations Resident Coordinator a.i. and Judge Aurora N. Recina, vice President of the United Nations Association of the Philippines (UNAP).  Family members of the late General Carlos P. Romulo, officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs, members of the diplomatic corps, heads of UN agencies and other international organizations and the members of the UN Week Organizing Committee took turns to place their floral offering at the tomb site of the General Romulo.

In his remarks, Mr. Tarroni lauded General Romulo, as “a true statesman, educator and a great foreign minister”. General Romulo served as Secretary of Foreign Affairs from 1969 to 1984, the longest tenure in the history of the Department of Foreign Affairs.        The ceremony at Fort Bonifacio was capped by the symbolic release of white and sky blue balloons, colors of the UN flag, signifying the commitment of the United Nations to the cause of international peace and the progress of humankind. END