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MANILA, Philippines – Former senator Rodolfo “Pong” Biazon died at the age of 88 on Monday, June 12, his son Ruffy confirmed.
“It is perfectly fitting that today, Independence Day, at around 8:30 am, the soldier who dedicated his life and laid it on the line in defending freedom and democracy, has been set free from the pains of this world,” the Biazon family said in a statement.
The family said Biazon was diagnosed with lung cancer in July 2022, and underwent treatment. The former senator, however, “caught pneumonia twice, the second being more serious than the first which had further weakened his lungs.”
“He courageously fought his last battle like a Marine would, but it is the Lord’s will which prevails,” the Biazons said.
In 1992, Biazon became the first Philippine Military Academy (PMA) alumnus to be elected as senator. He also served in the Senate from 1998 to 2010, then as Muntinlupa congressman from 2010 to 2016.
As a lawmaker, Biazon advocated for low cost housing and benefits of soldiers, among other pressing issues.
Biazon was born to a poor family in Batac, Ilocos Norte, on April 14, 1935, but this did not get in the way of his goal of getting an education. According to his profile on the Senate website, Biazon became a first grade student at the age of 11 because he had to help his family earn a living in Cavite. His father had died early, leaving his young family behind.
He continued to find ways to contribute to the family income even while he attended the Jose Rizal Elementary School in Pasay City where he graduated salutatorian, and as a student at the Jose Abad Santos High School where he graduated with honors in 1955.
In 1957, he chose to enter the PMA over West Point and the US Naval Academy, and graduated as the class goat, according to his Senate website profile
He was commandant of the Philippine Marines (1987 to 1989) and was also the commanding general of the NCR Defense Command (1988 to 1990) during the period when the Cory Aquino administration was rocked by coup attempts. He served as military vice chief in 1990, and Armed Forces of the Philippines chief in 1991, the year before he joined politics.
Biazon remained visible after he left politics, and spoke up on issues close to his heart: security and national defense. In 2017, he questioned the government’s handling of the Marawi siege, noting that the response should not be confined to a military solution.
“All Islamic radical groups should be targeted not physically alone, but psychologically by removing the water from the fish,” he had said in a Reuters report.
In 2021, Biazon hit then-president Rodrigo Duterte’s policy on China, noting that his government’s “confusing” approach to Chinese militarization of the West Philippine Sea posed a great risk for Filipinos.
“A commander-in-chief who says things in public then long after, retracts it, says he is joking. Wait a minute, we have a problem there. The commander-in-chief must be very, very clear what he says in public,” Biazon said.
“If you are President of the Republic, your pronouncements should be a product of a well-studied approach,” he added.
Biazon’s memoir – Rodolfo Biazon: Soldier, Solon, Statesman (Milflores Publishing) authored by Eric Ramos – was published December 2022. – Rappler.com
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