[1] He joined the rebel army led by Fidel Castro that overthrew Fulgencio Batista in the Cuban Revolution,[1] serving as a soldier–medic while the group was fighting in Sierra Maestra.
[1] A hardline Castro loyalist,[1][7] he replaced Carlos Aldana as head of the Departments of Ideology and International Relations in September 1992,[8] after coming back to Cuba at the outset of the Special Period.
[5] During his tenure, Balaguer was sent by Raúl Castro – the defense minister at the time – to handle the economic crisis and mismanagement by local officials in Granma Province.
[11] He praised Sicko, the 2007 documentary by Michael Moore that unfavourably compared the American healthcare system to Cuba's, stating that it will "help the world see the deeply humane principles of Cuban society".
[15] His statement and travel overseas the following month was regarded by observers as an indicator that Castro's health was stable, amidst conjectures at the time over whether he was still living.
[1][18] His cremated remains were first honoured at the veterans' pantheon in the Colon Cemetery, before being transported to the mausoleum of the combatants of the II Frank País Eastern Front in Santiago de Cuba, close to his place of birth.