Photo: Malacañang Palace, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Blas Ople

Blas Fajardo Ople was a Filipino journalist and politician who held several high-ranking positions in the executive and legislative branches of the Philippine government, including as Senate President from 1999 to 2000, and as Secretary of Foreign Affairs from 2002 until his death. Perceived as a leftist-nationalist at the onset of his career in public service, Ople was, in his final years, a vocal supporter for allowing a limited United States military presence in the Philippines, and for American initiatives in the war on terror including the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.

Si Blas F. Ople ay isang dating senador ng Pilipinas. Siya rin ang kalihim ng Department of Foreign Affairs mula 2002 hanggang sa kanyang kamatayan sa ilalim ng pamahalaan ni Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Noong 13 Disyembre 2003, Nagkaroon ng emergency landing sa Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Chiang-Kai-Shek sa Taiwan ang sinasakyan niyang eroplano nang inatake siya sa puso. Namatay siya sa isang ospital sa Taipei noong 14 Disyembre 2003. Siya ay 76 taong gulang.

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