Veteran diplomat Stephen Bosworth, who as US ambassador to the Philippines arranged the departure into exile of President Ferdinand Marcos as mobs stormed Malacañang during the final hours of the largely peaceful Edsa People Power Revolution of 1986, has died in his Boston home.
He was 76. His death on Sunday was announced by Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, which he headed until recently.
Bosworth, together with Philip Habib, the “troubleshooter” of then US President Ronald Reagan, had met with Marcos in Malacañang in an effort to defuse a worsening political crisis. The two Americans pushed for the removal of then Gen. Fabian Ver, the Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff, as reformist elements plotted a coup.
The putsch was aborted, but the breakaway of then Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and then Lt. Gen. Fidel Ramos sparked an outpouring of popular support coaxed by the Catholic Church.
Bosworth, as instructed by then US Secretary of State George Shultz, told Marcos on Feb. 24, 1986, that “his time is up.”
Reagan refused personally to tell Marcos to step down, but he agreed to give him asylum.
On the morning of Feb. 25, Bosworth instructed Gen. Teddy Allen to arrange the evacuation of the Marcos family from Malacañang.
That afternoon, Bosworth asked Corazon Aquino if Marcos could be allowed two days to stay in Paoay, Ilocos Norte province, before heading abroad. To prevent possible regrouping of the Marcos loyalists, Cory Aquino refused.
True friend
Malacañang called Bosworth a “true friend of the Philippines” and an “important figure in the history of people power.”
“During his ambassadorship to the Philippines from 1984 to 1987, he was placed in the middle of the country’s transformation from a dictatorship to a newly restored democracy,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a statement.
Lacierda said Bosworth “proved to be an honorable representative not just of his country’s interests but of the spirit of the times: one that embraced the toppling of tyrants throughout the world and the ‘restoration of democracy by the ways of democracy,’ as former President Corazon Aquino so memorably expressed it.”
Kerry statement
“In his dealings with the democratic opposition to the dictatorship, he proved to be an understanding and sympathetic envoy. His passing marks the loss of one more important figure in the history of people power, as we prepare to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Edsa People Power Revolution,” Lacierda said.
“We extend our deepest condolences to his family during this time of grief,” he said.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement on the death of Bosworth:
“From his tireless efforts as special representative for North Korea policy to his distinguished service in countries such as the Republic of Korea, the Philippines and Tunisia, Steve served our country with great distinction.
“I’ve known Ambassador Bosworth since the mid-1980s, when I was a young senator and he was a young diplomat. We were trying to help restore democracy in the Philippines, and Stephen wound up playing a key role in that historic transition. Steve’s unique brand of diplomacy blended the gravitas of a statesman and the timing of a comedian. He was an unfailingly genuine and nice person, a straightforward man who was quick with a kind comment or a self-deprecating joke.
Extensive career
“One of our nation’s most capable and admired diplomats, Ambassador Bosworth is a legend in Foggy Bottom, beloved by all. And he, in turn, had great respect for the people of the State Department—engaging with, mentoring, and caring about everyone, from the most junior diplomats to the interpreters on his staff.”
Bosworth had an extensive career in the US Foreign Service, including service as ambassador to Tunisia in 1979-1981 and to South Korea in 1997-2000.
His most recent position was the US special representative for North Korea policy for the Obama administration in 2009-2011.
From 1995 to 1997, Bosworth was the founding executive director of the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (Kedo), an intergovernmental organization established by the United States, South Korea and Japan to deal with North Korea.
Before joining Kedo, he served seven years as president of the United States Japan Foundation, a private American grant-making institution.
Bosworth was a senior fellow at Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He was also chair of the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies.
He served as dean emeritus of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in 2001-2013. He also taught at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs in 1990-1994 and was chair of the board of trustees of Dartmouth College in 1996-1999. With a report from Nikko Dizon