Philippines ambassador to China ‘Chito’ Sta. Romana dies

BEIJING (AP) — The Philippines’ ambassador to China, Jose Santiago “Chito” Sta. Romana, has died while in quarantine for COVID-19 at age 74. Sta. Romana was a longtime China resident and had been a correspondent for ABC News prior to being appointed ambassador in 2016. He was among a group of Filipinos who visited China during the rule of Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos and were barred from returning home. The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs announced Sta. Romana’s passing. Philippine media reports say he died on Monday in the city of Huangshan, where he had been completing his 21-day quarantine after returning from the Philippines with Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin Jr., who visited China for talks with his Chinese counterpart.