Francisco Soc Rodrigo
A passionate exponent of the national language and an outspoken stalwart of the Catholic faith, Francisco Rodrigo was a militant moral crusader, a role he had undividedly pursued even before he entered the public service.
Filipino Hero
Senator Rodrigo was born on January 29, 1914 in Bulacan, Bulacan, to Marcela Aldana and Melecio Rodrigo and a blood kin of two great heroes of his native province, Marcelo del Pilar and Gregorio del Pilar.
Son of Bulacan
Francisco Rodrigo was a proud son of Bulacan province, counting as relatives such heroes as the brothers Gregorio and Marcelo H. del Pilar, and masterfully composing prose and poetry in his native Tagalog language.
Widely known as Soc Rodrigo – the nickname, from the Greek philosopher Socrates, came from a teacher impressed by the young man’s keen mind.
Broadcast & Public Service
He was a senator for 12 years, from 1955 to 1967. He was also a prominent civic leader, notably serving as president of the Catholic Action of the Philippines, Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines and the Civil Liberties Union.
Rodrigo gained a wide following in all the three traditional mass media: print, radio and television. During the period of martial law, he was a mainstay of the so-called alternative press.
Civil Libertarian
Despite the overwhelming force of martial law, he joined the political opposition.
He was imprisoned three times under martial law – first in Fort Bonifacio for 10 weeks, in the company of other political figures; the second time in Bicutan, 1978, eight weeks; and then in Fort Bonifacio again in 1982, one week, after which he was released under house arrest.
Lawyer, Orator, Senator
Soc Rodrigo was a playwright in English and Tagalog, with works described as those that distilled within the Filipino soul. His most celebrated play was Sa Pula, Sa Puti while his most popular Kuro – Kuro sa likod ng mga Balita had also won legions of admirers throughout the country. Some other famous works include Tagalog translations of works of Martyr of Golgotha and Cyrano de Bergerac.
