About the author
Ambassador Leon Maria Guerrero (1915 – 1982) was the country’s senior career diplomat on his retirement in 1980. He was also only the third recipient of the country’s highest honor for Foreign Service, the Mabini Award (Gawad Mabini). His career spanned journalism, law, military service and politics as well as diplomacy. He entered government with President Magsaysay and was acting Secretary of Foreign Affairs before becoming the country’s first Ambassador to the United Kingdom.
He is best known for his ‘landmark’ biography of the national hero: The First Filipino. The work won him the top prize in the Centennial biography competition and his remained in print ever since inspiring new generations of scholars. His translations of Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo are perhaps the most widely read of all. And were published in both the UK and the US in the early 60s.
A book on his life, LMG: the anthology of Leon Ma. Guerrero – which runs over 450 pages and is printed in full color throughout – was published in 2010. It has been compiled by a team led by David Guerrero, the Ambassador’s only son. It features never-seen before pictures from the family archives as well as hundreds of articles, stories and speeches from the subject and his contemporaries. His story is a uniquely Filipino perspective on the great events and cultural life of the world in the 20th Century.
It’s a journey that takes us from the idyllic pre-war world of the Ateneo in the 1920s and genteel Manila society of that era to the tunnels of Corregidor with MacArthur. He witnesses first hand the bombardment of Japan and then works for the election of the country’s most popular President Magsaysay. Along the way he is chief prosecutor for a prominent suspect in a murder trial – Ferdinand E. Marcos. His vocal belief that The Philippines should be for the Filipinos and Asia should be for the Asians – conflicted with US policy at the time and he was forced to become the country’s first envoy the UK.
In London he starts by presenting his credentials to the young Queen Elizabeth. And as almost 200 pages of pictures show, he makes an unprecedented impact on London society. He puts the Philippines on British TV for the first time in a unique one-hour program. And promotes the country in myriad ways. Among them – introducing famed ballerina Dame Margot Fonteyn is to a performance by the Bayanihan Dancers. Hosting politicians such as Clement Atlee, Anthony Wedgwood Benn and Future British Prime Minister. Ted Heath at the embassy. On the cultural side actress Claire Bloom (then Mrs. Rod Steiger) dances the night away at an embassy party. More importantly perhaps he also places a historic “Blue Plaque” on the London residence of Jose Rizal. He speaks at a Foyle’s lunch. And he writes the Rizal biography ‘The First Filipino.’ As well as translating ‘Noli Me Tangere’ and “El Filibusterismo’ for London publisher Longman.
In Madrid, Delhi and Mexico the book covers the work he did in promoting the country’s standing with their leaders and promoting a shift towards ‘non-alignment’ in the polarized cold-war world. He was the first Asian to be elected vice-chairman of the International Sugar Council – the role of chairman being reserved for importer countries - and represented the country in getting better trade terms for its sugar exports. While in Spain he wrote a collection of essays in Spanish ‘El Si y El No’ which also won the Premio Zobel in 1964. During this period he was also called in to help the country in its negotiations with the Malaysians over the disputed province of Sabah. And he chaired the UN conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in 1968 – which was marked by a planned walkout of most of the delegates in protest of South Africa’s apartheid policy.