Jose Santiago "Chito" Santa Romana (January 15, 1948 – April 19, 2022), was a Philippine journalist and diplomat who served as that country's ambassador to China.[1][2]
As a young man, Romana studied at De La Salle University and was active in the anti-government demonstrations known as the "First Quarter Storm". In 1971, as a student, he visited the People's Republic of China as the head of a Philippine youth delegation. However, during this period, the then Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos began to suppress the Philippine communists, and Romana was forced to stay in China.[2] After that, Romana studied at the Beijing Language Institute (now Beijing Language and Culture University) and later became a translation editor.
On September 28, 2016, Romana was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as the Philippine Ambassador to China, with concurrent accreditation to North Korea and Mongolia.[6] Romana presented his credentials in March of the following year. He "played a key role in repairing once-tattered bilateral relations".[2]
Death
On April 18, 2022, Romana died of illness while undergoing quarantine for COVID-19 in Huangshan, Anhui Province while serving as the ambassador to China, at the age of 74.[7][8] After his death, he was described as "an old friend of the Chinese people".[9]
