Former PH envoy to Poland Rafael Gonzales passes away

PHOTO courtesy of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)

MANILA, Philippines — Former Philippine Ambassador to Poland Rafael Azules Gonzales has passed away at the age of 91, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Monday.

“The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announces with deep sorrow the demise of Ambassador Rafael Azules Gonzales on 28 June 2019 at the age of 91,” the DFA said in a statement.

According to the DFA, Gonzales started his career at the department as a clerk in 1947 and went on to become a Foreign Service Officer in 1960.

Gonzalez, the DFA said, served in various postings in New York, London, Hong Kong, Peking (now Beijing), and Berlin, before retiring as Philippine Ambassador to Poland in September 1992.

Gonzales, who was born in Albay on September 5, 1927, also wrote an autobiography in 2007 which detailed his diplomatic career and his love for judo.

“He also dabbled in the arts, wherein he participated in a Saturday Group Gallery exhibit in Ali Mall in 2004 through a collage entitled ‘In Memoriam,’ a tribute to his then late wife, Ambassador Felicitas Benzon-Gonzales,” the DFA said.

Gonzales was survived by his five children and six grandchildren. (Editor: Katherine G. Adraneda)