Dante Simbulan, soldier turned activist; 94

MANILA, Philippines — Dante C. Simbulan, a retired colonel turned activist who opposed the regime of Ferdinand Marcos Sr., died on Oct. 12 at Fairfax County, Virginia. He was 94.

Born on May 3, 1930, in San Simon, Pampanga, Simbulan was a member of the Class of 1952 of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), but later left the Armed Forces to become an educator.

He returned to the PMA in 1965 and taught there for two years later before moving on to other universities.

Prison, exile

In 1974, Simbulan’s activism drew the ire of Marcos Sr., who had him detained for three years without charges.

He went into involuntary exile in the United States in 1980, and while there, campaigned for the end of US support for the Marcos regime.

He wrote several acclaimed books, such as “The Modern Principalia: The Historical Evolution of the Philippine Ruling Oligarchy” in 2005, “Whose side are we on?” in 2016, and “When the Rains Come, Will Not the Grass Grow Again?: The Socialist Movement in the Philippines, 1920–1960” in 2018.

He continued to criticize subsequent administrations for their abuses, including that of Rodrigo Duterte.

‘True patriot’

His sons Dante Jr. and Roland shared memories of their father on social media.

Dante Jr. recalled his father’s activism wherever he was based, including his time at the PMA, teaching cadets “about Philippine history, the Vietnam War and the ‘Mercenary Tradition of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.’”

Among Simbulan’s fellow activists who mourned his passing, former party list congressman Walden Bello called him a “true patriot and soldier of the Revolution.” —Inquirer Research