RISe Tribute to Chito Sta. Romana

The Board of Trustees and the Global Advisory Council of Remembering Isagani Serrano (RISe) Inc. joins the family of Ambassador Chito Sta. Romana in grief while also celebrating his extraordinary life as an esteemed colleague in the movement for equitable and sustainable development.

Chito was a dear friend of Gani, with whom he shared a strong commitment of pursuing fairness in a fragile world. That was why Chito readily accepted our invitation for him to serve as a member of the RISe Global Advisory Council. We were honored by his active participation in the RISe Board of Trustees Meeting timed with the commemoration of Gani’s third death anniversary last March 12, 2022. We didn’t realize that was to be his last meeting with us.

Chito had a profound understanding of the complexities of global politics and development specially in relation to the role of China and the impact of such on developing countries like the Philippines. Through his eyes, we had a better historical understanding of official statements and actions of the Chinese government beyond what we hear from mainstream media.

Chito’s incisive inputs in dialogues on what was really happening in China also helped many of us have a nuanced appreciation of the role that the Chinese government has played in addressing poverty in this most populated country in the world. A number of us were lucky to have participated in meetings where both Gani and Chito shared their common understanding of the important role that the Chinese government has played in the redistribution of wealth and massive investments in rural revitalization that resulted to the biggest contribution in global poverty reduction over the past two decades.

We will miss Chito’s generosity of spirit, quiet demeanor, thoughtful look and warm smile. We bid farewell to a highly regarded friend and colleague. We join everyone in paying tribute to a global citizen who lived a life of integrity and service to humanity.