Romeo Espino
Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
In office
January 15, 1972  August 15, 1981
PresidentFerdinand Marcos
Preceded byManuel Yan
Succeeded byFabian Ver
Deputy Chief of Staff, AFP
In office
January 13, 1971  May 29, 1972
Preceded byEugenio Acab
Succeeded byRafael Ileto
Commanding General, Philippine Army
In office
January 13, 1967  May 29, 1968
Preceded bySantos Garcia
Succeeded byRuben Maglaya
Personal details
Born
Romeo C. Espino

(1914-12-20)December 20, 1914
DiedFebruary 17, 2003(2003-02-17) (aged 88)
Resting placeLibingan ng mga Bayani
SpouseBella Espino
Children5
Alma materUniversity of the Philippines
Military service
Allegiance Philippines
Branch/servicePhilippine Army
Years of service1941–1980
Commands
Battles/warsWorld War II
Communist rebellion in the Philippines
Moro conflict

Romeo C. Espino (December 20, 1914 - February 17, 2003) 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

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Who's Who In Bataan – General Romeo C. Espino". 1Bataan. Provincial Information Office of Bataan. June 2, 2016. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  2. "General Romeo C. Espino". UP Vanguard Incorporated. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Marcos and his men: Who were the key Martial Law figures?". Rappler. September 21, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
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