“I am a Filipino born to freedom, and I shall not rest until freedom shall have been added unto my inheritance – for myself and my children and my children’s children – forever.”
I AM A FILIPINO
By Carlos P. Romulo
When a product has a history attached to it, it makes it more interesting, such is Liberator Lager.
Liberator Lager was conceptualized by Enzo Squillantini, co-founder of the popular Romulo Café Chain of Restaurants with his wife Sandie Romulo-Squillantini, primarily to honor the memory and legacy of Gen. Carlos P. Romulo, who was the “last man off Bataan” on April 9, 1942 and “one of the first” to return as Aide-de-Camp of Gen. Douglas MacArthur on October 20, 1944, during the famous landing at Leyte, captured in this iconic monument that stands in Palo, Leyte, then called “Red Beach”.
Gen. Douglas MacArthur issued his immortal promise “I Shall Return”, after he was ordered by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt to leave his beleaguered headquarters in the Malinta Tunnel on Corregidor, “the Rock”, and regroup in Australia to lead the Allied effort to mount a counteroffensive against the Imperial Japanese forces that have invaded and occupied Asia.
After 2-1/2 years, Gen. MacArthur did fulfill his promise to return and liberate the Philippine Islands from the Japanese on October 20th, 1944, codenamed A-Day, leading the greatest naval armada the world has ever seen, consisting of 600 magnificent ships carrying 250,000 Americans, larger than D-Day in Normandy, France, and supported by clouds of planes at which he declared, “People of the Philippines, I have returned!”
LIBERATOR LAGER is also our salute to the brave Filipino men and women who have fought and died to attain our freedoms and protect our liberties in the course of our nation’s historic struggle for independence. Starting with the sporadic revolts against Spain throughout the islands, that finally culminated in the historic Cry of Balintawak when Filipinos tore their cedulas to signify the start of the revolution against an abusive colonizer, followed by those who fought during the Philippine-American War, and finally for those 75,000 Filipino soldiers and 10,000 Americans in the Battle for Bataan and the Last Stand on Corregidor, the subsequent Death March, and the thousands of Filipino guerillas who continued the struggle behind enemy lines during the brutal Japanese occupation of World War II.
Finally, in today’s world, Liberator Lager represents a toast to all of us who love our freedoms (as much as our beer), specially to those noble men and women with integrity, who keep their word, honor their commitment and fulfill their promise, to their spouse and children, to their colleagues and customers, to their friends and neighbors, to their nation and to God.
Crisp, refreshing, and easily enjoyable, Liberator Lager is brewed using a precise selection of high-quality Pilsner malt and finest American hops. Classic European brewing techniques bring all the ingredients together to deliver a beer that has the right touch of malt sweetness and a subtle yet unique tropical profile of citrus, passionfruit, and melon. A fresh pour of Liberator Lager from the draft makes it an undeniably satisfying drink with Romulo Café’s most popular dishes.
Celebrate Victory! Celebrate Freedom! Celebrate with Liberator Lager! Pair this craft beer with our signature dishes like Lola Virginia’s Chicken Relleno, first served by the wife of Gen. Carlos P. Romulo in Washington D.C., our best-seller Tito Greg’s Kare-Kare, and all-time favorite, CPR for Crispy Pata ni Romulo.
