Alejandro Roces

Alejandro Reyes Roces, Sr.
Chairman of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board
In office
March 23, 2001 – 2002
Preceded byNicanor Tiongson
Succeeded byMarilen Ysmael-Dinglasan
35th Secretary of Education
In office
December 30, 1962 – September 7, 1965
Preceded byJose Tuason
Succeeded byCarlos P. Romulo
Personal details
BornAlejandro Reyes Roces
(1924-07-13)July 13, 1924
DiedMay 23, 2011(2011-05-23) (aged 86)
SpouseIrene Yorston Viola
Parent(s)Rafael Roces and Inocencia Baptista-Reyes
Occupation
  • Journalist
  • author
  • essayist
  • dramatist
  • teacher
  • educator
  • fighter
  • raconteur
  • patriot
  • public servant
Known for
Awards Order of National Artists of the Philippines
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Alejandro Reyes Roces, Sr. (13 July 1924 – 23 May 2011) was a Filipino author, essayist, dramatist and a National Artist of the Philippines for literature. He served as Secretary of Education from 1962 to 1965, during the term of Philippine President Diosdado Macapagal.

Noted for his short stories, the Manila-born Roces was married to Irene Yorston Viola (granddaughter of Maximo Viola), with whom he had a daughter, Elizabeth Roces-Pedrosa.

He attended elementary and high school at the Ateneo de Manila University, before moving to the University of Arizona and then Arizona State University for his tertiary education. He graduated with a Bachelor in Fine Arts (B.F.A.), and attained his M.A. from the Far Eastern University back in the Philippines. He has since received honorary doctorates from Toyo University, Baguio's St. Louis University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, and the Ateneo de Manila University. Roces was a captain in the Marking's Guerilla during World War II and a columnist in Philippine dailies such as the Manila Chronicle and the Manila Times. He was previously President of the Manila Bulletin and of the CAP College Foundation.

In 2001, Roces was appointed as Chairman of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB). Roces also became a member of the Board of Trustees of GSIS (Government Service Insurance System) and maintained a column in the Philippine Star called Roses and Thorns.