Colonel Salvador Arambulo Rodolfo Sr. (7 February 1919 – 9 January 2012) was a Filipino soldier who helped liberate the Island Province of Catanduanes in the Philippines from the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II.
He was a descendant of Don Juan Rodolfo of Almeria, Spain who went to the Philippines in the 18th century and married the daughter of Datu Bantog, who was then one of the Tribal Chieftains in Catanduanes, in order to put to a halt the hostilities between the natives and the Spaniards.
[citation needed] When the Second World War broke out, Rodolfo was called to arms in defense of the Philippines against the invading Japanese Imperial Forces.
I have two options for you, we can go to the hills and save ourselves and wait there until the Americans arrive, but I assure you that all civilians left behind will be massacred by the incoming Japanese, or we can repeat what happened in the Battle of Thermopylae and stand our ground.
Most of us will die, but we will live forever in the pages of history as the men who fought for the liberation of CatanduanesWith that, everybody decided to stand their ground and fight the incoming Japanese.
[2] Rodolfo played a role in local politics in the 1980s and 1990s, serving as Senior Provincial Board Member of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and acting Vice Governor in Catanduanes.