Napoleon "Nap" Genson Rama, PLH (July 27, 1923 – January 10, 2016) was a Filipino Visayan lawyer, journalist, and writer in English and Spanish from Cebu, Philippines. He was the Vice President of the 1971 Constitutional Convention and the Floor Leader of the 1986 Constitutional Commission. In 2011, he was awarded the Philippine Legion of Honor, the country's highest recognition, with the rank of Grand Commander on the 25th anniversary of the EDSA 1 Revolution by President

Benigno S. Aquino III Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III (; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016. The son of ...

Early life

Napoleon Rama, son of statesman

Vicente Rama Vicente Rama (June 6, 1887 – December 24, 1956) was a Filipino Visayan legislator, publisher, and writer from Cebu, Philippines. Recognized as the Father of Cebu City, he authored the bill for its cityhood which was approved into law by Octobe ...

and Catalina Genson, was born on July 27, 1923. He married Paz Ramos and the couple had five children namely Liza Grace, Napoleon Jr., Ma. Gina Linda, Ma. Pamela and Ronald. In college, he attended the

University of San Carlos The University of San Carlos, also referred to by its acronym USC or colloquially shortened to San Carlos, is a private, Catholic, research, coeducational basic and higher education institution administered by the Philippine Southern Province ...

and was the school paper's editor-in-chief, and became a lawyer on January 26, 1952.

Career

Journalism

A lawyer by profession, he represented Vicente Rubi's copyright case for the song "Kasadya ning Taknaa" that had a Tagalog version, "Ang Pasko ay Sumapit." He wrote for the '' Philippine Free Press'', and his article "North Borneo Belongs To Us" was a landmark publication that was used by the Philippines as a basis to claim Borneo. Awarded "Journalist of the Year" in 1959, he worked for the ''

Philadelphia Bulletin The ''Philadelphia Bulletin'' was a daily evening newspaper published from 1847 to 1982 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the largest circulation newspaper in Philadelphia for 76 years and was once the largest evening newspaper in the United ...

'' in the United States and was the editor of ''El Observatorio'', a Spanish newspaper in Cebu. Additionally, he was the publisher of '' Manila Bulletin'' and writer for its Sunday periodical, ''Philippine Panorama'', starting in 1987 until his retirement at the age of 83 in 2007. He also wrote the book ''A Time in the Life of a Filipino'' which documented the administration of the late President Corazon Aquino, and was the president of the Manila Overseas Press Club (MOPC) twice. As a political writer, he wrote various topics including investigative articles on tax declarations of elected officials, social problems, and stories of martial law. He was also known to advocate for the use of English as medium of instruction.

Politics

He served as delegate and the Vice President of the 1971 Constitutional Convention when it opened on June 1, 1971, and was part of the group that initiated Ban Marcos resolution that prohibited

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...

and his wife

Imelda Imelda is a feminine Spanish/Italian given name derived from the German form of Irmhild. Notable people with the name include: * Imelda Calixto-Rubiano, Filipina politician * Imelda Chiappa, Italian road racing cyclist * Imelda Concepcion, Fil ...

from being part of the Convention and from being voted to any elective position, which failed to prosper in the convention. At the height of the martial law in the Philippines, he was incarcerated at the Fort Bonifacio in 1972. Other personalities that were detained included Benigno Aquino Jr.,

Ramon Mitra Jr. Ramon Villarosa Mitra Jr. (February 4, 1928 – March 20, 2000) was a Filipino statesman, diplomat, and pro-democracy activist. He served as Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from 1987 to 1992. Prior to that, he was ...

, and

Francisco Rodrigo Francisco "Soc" Aldana Rodrigo (January 29, 1914 – January 4, 1998) was a Filipino playwright, lawyer, broadcaster, and a Senator of the Philippines from 1955 to 1967. In honor of in the struggle against the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, hi ...

. A petition for habeas corpus was filed on their behalf. Together with his friend Benigno Aquino Jr., he founded the political party Lakas ng Bayan (LABAN) against the Marcos-backed

Kilusang Bagong Lipunan The New Society Movement ( fil, Kilusang Bagong Lipunan, KBL), formerly named the New Society Movement of United Nationalists, Liberals, et cetera ( fil, Kilusang Bagong Lipunan ng Nagkakaisang Nacionalista, Liberal, at iba pa, KBLNNL), is a ...

(KBL). In 1978, he ran for the Interim Batasang Pambansa elections and lost as it was dominated by KBL candidates. After EDSA revolution, he was appointed by then President Corazon Aquino as delegate of the Constitutional Commission that drafted the

1987 Philippine Constitution The Constitution of the Philippines (Filipino: ''Saligang Batas ng Pilipinas'' or ''Konstitusyon ng Pilipinas'', Spanish: ''Constitución de la República de Filipinas'') is the constitution or the supreme law of the Republic of the Philippine ...

and became the commission's Floor Leader.

Later years

He was awarded "Most Outstanding Alumnus of Universidad de San Carlos", the Ninoy Aquino Memorial Award in 1990, and the 1992 Premio Zobel, the oldest Spanish literary award in the country. During the 25th anniversary of the EDSA Revolution in 2011, then president Benigno Simeon Aquino conferred upon him the Philippine Legion of Honor with the rank of Grand Commander. He succumbed to diabetes and pneumonia at St. Luke's Hospital in Quezon City and died on January 10, 2016.

Awards and recognition

* 2011 Philippine Legion of Honor (Grand Commander Rank) * 1959 Journalist of the Year in United States * 1990 Ninoy Aquino Memorial Award * 1992 Premio Zobel * Most Outstanding Alumnus of the

of Cebu

Publication

* ''A Time in the Life of a Filipino'' (9 September 2008)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rama, Napoeleon 1923 births 2016 deaths 20th-century Filipino writers 20th-century Filipino lawyers University of San Carlos alumni Filipino columnists Manila Bulletin people Filipino reporters and correspondents Marcos martial law victims English-language writers from the Philippines Members of the Philippine Constitutional Commission of 1986