Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sent his sympathies on the passing of former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, who he considers a “good friend,” Japanese Ambassador to Manila Kazuhiko Koshikawa said on Thursday, April 20.
(From left) Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (Photo from Japanese Ambassador to Manila Kazuhiko Koshikawa via Twitter)
The envoy took to Twitter to send the Prime Minister’s condolences to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. over the death of a former Cabinet member.
“JP Prime Minister Kishida Fumio expressed his deepest condolences to President Marcos over the passing of former Secretary Albert F. Del Rosario,” he wrote.
“PM Kishida has been a good friend of Secretary Del Rosario since he was Foreign Minister,” Koshikawa added.
In an earlier tweet, the Japanese envoy commended Del Rosario for his “contributions” to advancing the Philippines-Japan relations.
Such contribution, he added, was symbolized by the conferment of a Japanese Decoration last year.
Del Rosario died on Tuesday, April 18, at the age of 83.
He served under former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III as his top diplomat. He was responsible for bringing the Philippine case to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague and emerging with a favorable ruling. The ruling struck down China's nine dash line theory that claims large areas in the South China Sea that include the expanded economic zone of the Philippines and other ASEAN countries.
According to the Del Rosario family, there will be a wake for the accomplished business leader and advocate of international diplomacy. It will be held at the Chapels of Sanctuario de San Antonio in Makati on Sunday and Monday, April 23 and 24, from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
A funeral mass will be held on Tuesday, April 25, at 9 a.m. in the Main Church of the Sanctuario de San Antonio.
Instead of flowers, the family said donations may be sent for a Professorial Chair in International Diplomacy at the Ateneo de Manila University.