Romeo Espino
Romeo Espino | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines | |
| In office January 15, 1972 – August 15, 1981 | |
| President | Ferdinand Marcos |
| Preceded by | Manuel Yan |
| Succeeded by | Fabian Ver |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Romeo C. Espino December 20, 1914 |
| Died | February 17, 2003 (aged 88) |
| Spouse | Bella Espino |
| Children | 5 |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Philippines |
| Branch/service | Philippine Army |
| Years of service | 1941–1980 |
| Commands | Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of the Philippines Commanding General of the Philippine Army |
| Battles/wars | World War II Communist rebellion in the Philippines Moro conflict |
Romeo C. Espino was a Filipino general who served as Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines from 1971 to 1980.
Early life and education
Espino was born on December 20, 1914 and was a native of Samal, Bataan.[1] He finished his college education at the University of the Philippines in 1937.[2]
Career
Espino joined the Philippine Army in 1941 as an Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) officer and fought against the Japanese during their occupation of the Philippines in World War II. He served as Commanding General of the Philippine Army from January 13, 1967 until May 29, 1968.[1]
On January 15, 1972,[3] then President Ferdinand Marcos appointed him as Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines succeeding Manuel Yan. He was also an implementer of the martial law of President Marcos.[1] He was also named part of the Rolex 12 due to being a close associate of Marcos. Named members of the Rolex 12 allegedly received luxury watches from Marcos hence the label.[4]
He led the military against the Communist rebellion of the New People's Army (NPA) and the Moro National Liberation Front in the Moro conflict. He was credited for the arrest of NPA leader Bernabe Buscayno and defector Victor Corpus in 1976.[1] Espino ended his tenure on August 15, 1981 and was replaced by Fabian Ver. He is the longest serving Chief of Staff serving for 9 years, 7 months.[3]
Espino also headed the Philippine Red Cross.[4]
Death
Espino died on February 17, 2003 and was buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani by virtue of being a former Chief of Staff.[1]
Personal life
Espino was married to Bella Espino with whom he had five children.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Who's Who In Bataan – General Romeo C. Espino". 1Bataan. Provincial Information Office of Bataan. June 2, 2016. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
- ^ "General Romeo C. Espino". UP Vanguard Incorporated. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
- ^ a b "Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
- ^ a b "Marcos and his men: Who were the key Martial Law figures?". Rappler. September 21, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
- Use mdy dates from July 2022
- Articles without Wikidata item
- Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs (Philippines)
- Filipino generals
- Filipino military personnel of World War II
- Ferdinand Marcos administration personnel
- 1914 births
- 2003 deaths
- Philippine Army generals
- People from Bataan
- University of the Philippines alumni