Ambassador Alejandro “Andy” del Rosario, who was Manila Standard’s first Editor-in-Chief when the newspaper launched in 1987 before becoming its Publisher and Chief Operating Officer, died Sunday (Dec. 8) at his home in Quezon City. He was 78.
Mr. Del Rosario’s remains currently lie in state at the Loyola Memorial Chapels in Guadalupe, Makati City. His interment will be announced later. He is survived by his wife Mary and their children.
A true-blue journalist before he was a diplomat, Mr. del Rosario wrote a thrice-weekly column for the Standard in his later years. His “Back Channel” articles were straight to the point and incisive, much like his friendly but no-nonsense persona.
A graduate of the University of Santo Tomas, Sir Andy trained at the Chicago Daily News courtesy of the World Press Institute before joining the defunct Daily Mirror as a sportswriter, then the Manila Chronicle as assistant sports editor.
He was managing editor of the Chronicle when then-President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law, forcing his move to the diplomatic corps. “ADR,” as he was respectfully called, would reemerge as a newsman after the 1986 EDSA Revolution, as Rodolfo “Rod” Reyes, publisher of Manila Standard, tapped him to become editor.
Del Rosario was named Ambassador to Hungary in 2002. He was assigned to Poland and Slovakia when the Philippines reopened its embassy in Warsaw in 2009, the peak of his foreign affairs career that started when he served as press counsellor of the Philippine mission to the United Nations from 1978 to 1981, and again from 1992 to 1996.
He took the same role in the Philippine Embassy in London from 1982 to 1986, then moved to Brussels from 1989 to 1992.
At the Department of Affairs Home Office, Mr. Del Rosario served as spokesman and Senior Foreign Affairs adviser to then-Foreign Affairs Secretary Roberto R. Romulo. As Foreign Affairs adviser, Del Rosario worked closely with Romulo and traveled with him on his official trips and on the working and state visits of former President Fidel V. Ramos.
Mr. Del Rosario was the only non-sports editor to become president of the Philippine Sportswriters Association, the country’s oldest news organization, founded in 1949. The PSA recognized his career achievements and outstanding performance in journalism and government service during its Annual Awards in 2002.
He was also appointed a treasurer of the Philippine Press Institute, the national association of newspapers founded in 1964.
