Renato Constantino

In thisPhilippine name,themiddle nameor maternalfamily nameisReyesand the surname or paternal family name isConstantino.

Renato Reyes Constantino Sr.(March 10, 1919 – September 15, 1999) was aFilipinohistorianknown for being part of theleftisttradition of Philippine historiography. Apart from being a historian, Constantino was also engaged in foreign service, working for the Philippine Mission to theUnited Nationsand theDepartment of Foreign Affairs.

Renato Constantino
Born	Renato Reyes Constantino (1919-03-10)March 10, 1919 Manila,Philippine Islands
Died	September 15, 1999(1999-09-15)(aged 80) Quezon City,Philippines
Alma mater	University of the Philippines Manila(BA) New York University(MA)
Occupation(s)	Historian, educator
Spouse	Letizia Roxas ​ (m.1943)​
Children	2, includingKarina
Relatives	Randy David(son-in-law) Kara David(granddaughter) Karmina Constantino(granddaughter)

He is the father of formerCivil Service CommissionChairpersonKarina Constantino-Davidand father-in-law ofUniversity of the Philippines Dilimansociologyprofessor emeritusRandy David.

Education and early career

Constantino attended theUniversity of the Philippineswhere he became the youngest editor of the university's student publication,ThePhilippine Collegian.He wrote editorial columns criticizing PresidentManuel Quezon,which earned the attention of the President by responding to the article in one of his speeches. It was also in UP where he co-founded theAlpha Phi Betafraternity, alongside 17 other students; professor and future SenatorAmbrosio Padillaserved as their Charter Adviser.

When theSecond World Warerupted, Constantino fought inBataanand was a member of an intelligence team spying on the Japanese. He also worked as a journalist during the war.

At the conclusion of the war, Constantino joined the Philippine Mission to theUnited Nationsfrom 1946 to 1949 as its Executive Secretary. He worked as a counselor for theDepartment of Foreign Affairsfrom 1949 to 1951. These exposures to foreign service became the foundations of a book he wrote about the United Nations.

Academic career

Constantino held professorial positions at the University of the Philippines (DilimanandManila),Far Eastern University,Adamson University,andArellano University.He was also a visiting lecturer in universities in London, Sweden, Japan, Germany, Malaysia and Thailand. He served as a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Contemporary Asia, and Trustee of Focus on the Global South in Bangkok.

He wrote around 30 books and numerous pamphlets and monographs. Among Constantino's well-known books areA Past RevisitedandThe Continuing Past.He also wroteThe Making of a Filipino(a biography ofClaro M. Recto),The Essential Tañada(On Statesman and SenatorLorenzo M. Tañada),Neo-colonial Identity and Counter-Consciousness,andThe Nationalist Alternative.Several of his books have been translated into Japanese and The Nationalist Alternative has a Malaysian translation.

Constantino earned various distinctions for his historical work. He received nationalism awards from Quezon City in 1987, Manila in 1988, The Civil Liberties Union in 1988, and theUniversity of the Philippines Manilain 1989. Constantino was also the Manila's Diwa ng Lahi awardee in 1989. He was conferred the Doctor of Arts and Letters(honoris causa)from thePolytechnic University of the Philippinesin 1989 and aDoctor of Laws(honoris causa)from theUniversity of the Philippines Dilimanin 1990.

Works

• The Miseducation of the Filipino(1959)
• Recto Reader: Excerpts from the Speeches of Claro M. Recto(1965)
• Veneration Without Understanding(1969)
• The Making of a Filipino: A Story of Philippine Colonial Politics(1969)
• Dissent and Counter-consciousness(1970)
• A History of the Philippines(with Letizia R. Constantino; 1975)
• The Philippines: A Past Revisited(1975)
• Philippines: A Continuing Past(with Letizia R. Constantino; 1978)
• The Aquino Watch(1987)
• Demystifying Aquino(1989)
• The Essential Tañada (1989)
• History: Myths and Reality(1992)

Legacy

Detail of the Wall of Remembrance at theBantayog ng mga Bayani,showing names from the 2001 batch of Bantayog Honorees, including that of Renato Constantino.

For his academic contributions to the struggle against theMarcos dictatorship,his name is inscribed on the Wall of Remembrance at the Philippines'Bantayog ng mga Bayani(Monument of Heroes).

Today, Constantino is regarded as one of the leading Filipino nationalist historians of the mid-20th century, who advocated for a Filipino-centric view of the country's history, alongside his contemporariesTeodoro AgoncilloandHoracio de la Costa.

External links

• BiographyArchivedDecember 22, 2010, at theWayback Machine
• Profile at Bantayog ng mga Bayani