Chino Roces
Joaquin "Chino" Pardo Roces was a Filipino businessman and newspaper publisher. He was best known for being the founder of the Associated Broadcasting Corporation and a former owner of The [Manila Times], as well as his staunch opposition of the administration of Ferdinand Marcos.
Early life
Roces was born on June 29, 1913, to Alejandro "Moy" Roces and Antonia "Nena" Pardo from San Miguel, Manila. He had seven siblings: Ramón Roces, Filomena "Nenita" Roces de Verzosa, Isabel "Bebeng" Roces, Mercedes Roces, Rafael "Tuti" Roces, Antonia "Chucha" Roces de Prieto and Marcos "Taling" Roces.He studied at the Ateneo de Manila University for high school. He started his journalism career some time after.
Media career
He started his publishing career at his father's newspaper chain TVT before World War II. Don Chino later headed the Roces family media empire composed of newspapers The Manila Times, Daily Mirror, Sunday Times, Taliba, Women's Magazine Variety, and the Associated Broadcasting Corporation, which first consisted of radio stations DZMT-AM, DZTM-AM, and DZWS-AM and the television station DZTM-TV. He also organized media groups, the Philippine News Agency, and Philippine Press Institute.Roces was arrested and jailed when Martial Law was imposed in 1972, together with Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., José W. "Ka Pepe" Diokno, who is the father of human rights, and Lorenzo M. "Ka Tanny" Tañada Sr. and other journalists. As soon as he was released, he took to the streets to openly protest the Marcos government. After the assassination of Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. in 1983, he further intensified his protest and during a vigil on Mendiola Bridge, Roces was drenched by water cannons.
On October 15, 1985, Roces founded the Cory Aquino for President Movement at the National Press Club. He gathered over one million signatures from all over the nation to draft Corazon Aquino to run against Marcos.
After the EDSA revolution in 1986, he returned to publishing, first joining forces with Geny Lopez at the Manila Chronicle, and then later once more the publisher of the family owned The Manila Times.
On July 22, 1988, President Aquino conferred on him the Philippine Legion of Honor Award, the highest honor the country can bestow on a civilian.
Personal life
He was married to Dona Pacita Carvajal and had four children namely: Joaquin "Joaqui" Roces Jr., Arturo Roces, Edgardo "Eddie" C. Roces, and Rocio Rosalinda Antonia Roces.Death and legacy
He died of cancer on September 30, 1988, at the age of 75 in Manila, Philippines.In that same year, Pasong Tamo Street, one of the main roads in Makati, was renamed Chino Roces Avenue in his honor.
In 1992, Roces was honoured at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani memorial located in Quezon City which honors personalities that helped restored Philippine democracy and their opposition to the martial law regime.
A statue of Roces is presently erected on the north end of Mendiola Street, one of the main thoroughfares of Manila which has renamed as the Don Chino Roces Bridge in honour of the late journalist.
In 2018, the Human Rights Victims' Claims Board formally recognized Roces and 126 other individuals as a motu proprio victim of human rights violations committed under the Marcos Sr. dictatorship.