In celebration of the Rotary Club of Guam’s 75th anniversary, the organization hosted a special visit from a descendent of Gen. Carlos P. Romulo, Romulo’s granddaughter, Liana Romulo.
Carlos Romulo visited Guam in 1939 on his way to elsewhere and met with the Guam’s “A-List” at the time. Though he never returned to Guam, the group he met with went on to establish the Rotary Club. With Liana Romulo’s visit, “We’ve come full circle,” says William Hagen, past president of the Rotary Club of Guam.
Carlos Romulo served as the secretary of foreign affairs in the Philippines for 17 years and as the Philippines’ ambassador to the United States for 10 years. In 1945, he helped establish the United Nations and was the first Asian to hold the title as president of the organization. He later served as the president of the UN Security Council Four Times. He was also a Pulitzer-prize-winning journalist and prolific writer.
Liana Romula told Guam Business Magazine, “I hear all the time from people all over the world how my grandfather’s work has impacted their lives — and it never gets old. […] I hope that I might contribute to society in the way he did, even if not on quite so grand a scale.”
Liana Romulo is the daughter of Roberto Romulo, former foreign minister and Philippines ambassador to the European community.
She has launched a website about her grandfather, carlospromulo.org, and an archive of his memorabilia; wrote and produced a short documentary about him titled “A Warrior for Peace,” compiled his writings in a special edition for young readers called “The Romulo Reader” and curated artwork for the Romulo Café, a restaurant-museum showcasing Carlos Romulo’s career and his wife’s cooking. She also opened the Romulo Peace Center, which will donate all its rental fees through 2015 and other income to the Carlos P. Romulo Foundation for Peace and Development.