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In memoriam: 2009 was a year of great loss in RP


As we welcome the second decade of the 21st century, we remember the people whose deaths in the Philippines marked 2009 as a year of great loss for the arts, environment, religion, media, politics, and humanity. Some of the following people had lived long, full lives, but many were gone too soon. All were inspirational in their own way, and to continue their legacy is the greatest tribute we can offer in their memory. Our dead are never really dead until we have forgotten them. NATIONAL LEADERS Corazon Aquino January 25, 1933 - August 1, 2009 Cardio-respiratory arrest due to colon cancer Survived by her children Maria Elena (Ballsy), Aurora Corazon (Pinky), Benigno Aquino III (Noynoy), Victoria Elisa (Viel), and Kristina Bernadette (Kris) Fondly called Tita Cory, she became the first female president of the Philippines in 1986, ending the 20-year regime of Ferdinand Marcos. She is hailed as the mother of Philippine Democracy and was named Time Magazine’s Woman of the Year in 1986 “for her determination and courage in leading a democratic revolution that captured the world’s imagination." She also topped Time Magazine’s list of significant deaths in 2009. U.S. Senator Richard Lugar wrote: “She showed that one person of modest demeanor can change history." “I have led a full life. I cannot complain," Mrs. Aquino said in March 2008, when she was told that she had stage 4 cancer of the colon. Thousands of supporters clad in yellow flocked to the streets to pay their last respects during the five-hour transfer of her casket from the La Salle Greenhills campus in Quezon City to the Manila Cathedral, and the eight-hour funeral cortege to the Manila Memorial Park. In her late husband Ninoy Aquino’s poem “I Have Fallen in Love With the Same Woman Three Times," he calls her our “source of comfort, our wellspring of Hope." Erano Manalo January 2, 1925 – August 31, 2009 Cardiopulmonary arrest Survived by his wife Christina Villanueva and children Ka Erdy, as he was called by his followers, was Iglesia ni Cristo’s executive minister at the time of his death. He had succeeded his father and INC founder Felix Y. Manalo, who died in 1963. He developed models for agrarian reform and the first resettlement farms in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija in 1965. He was also responsible for Iglesia ni Cristo’s global expansion through overseas missionaries. Ka Erdy’s death was mourned not only by his followers but by other religious leaders as well. “Masasabi natin na mabuting tao po yan, bagaman magkaiba kami ng pananampalataya (I can say that he is a good man even if we differ in religious beliefs)," Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz said in an interview on dzBB. INC has 1.8 million members, or more than 2.3 per cent of the Philippine population based on the 2000 census. Sotero Laurel September 27, 1918 - September 16, 2009 Lingering illness Survived by his wife Lorna and their eight children The third son of former President Jose P. Laurel, former Senate President Pro Tempore Sotero Laurel served the upper house from 1987 to 1992, during the Aquino presidency. Senator Teroy, as he was called by his friends and family, received the Chevalier de France dans l’ordre des Palm academique (Order of Academic Palms), a prestigious award given to academics and educators, in 1986. Senate Resolution 204 honoring Laurel, 90, noted that the former legislator died exactly 18 years from the day the Senate rejected the Treaty of Friendship, Economic Cooperation and Security with the US. Laurel "was one of the ‘Magnificent 12’ who voted against the extension of the United States Military Bases" in the Philippines in 1991, according to an emailed statement from the family’s close friend, Gerard Zorilla. ARTISTS Francis Magalona October 4, 1964 - March 6, 2009 Multiple organ failure due to leukemia Survived by his wife Pia Arroyo-Magalona and their eight children: Unna, Nicolo, Maxene, Francis Jr., Isabella, Elmo, Arkin, and Clara Best known for his 1990 hit “Mga Kababayan Ko," Master Rapper FrancisM is hailed as the king of Pinoy Rap. In 2009, he was posthumously inducted into the NU Rock Awards' Hall of Fame and awarded the Presidential Medal of Merit by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts for his “musical and artistic brilliance, his deep faith in the Filipino and his sense of national pride that continue to inspire us." He died a day before his scheduled appearance as a special guest in "The Final Set" Eraserheads reunion concert last March 7. The band dedicated the concert to Magalona. “He made it cool to be Pinoy," said his widow, Pia Arroyo-Magalona. "Higante," the carrier single of a collaboration album with Eraserheads frontman Ely Buendia, was released last October 5. Johnny Delgado February 29, 1948 – November 19, 2009 Lymphoma Survived by his wife Laurice Guillen and daughters Ina and Anna Award-winning actor and writer Johnny Delgado appeared in over 50 films including Tanging Yaman, for which he won the FAMAS award for Best Actor in 2001. Delgado became popular for his role in the 1980s television gag show Goin’ Bananas. His last and possibly best film was screened during his wake. Labing Labing, a 30-minute short film made by his daughter Ina Feleo, starred the late actor and his wife. “With his exuberant and powerful portrayal, Johnny celebrates life, not death," wrote entertainment columnist Nestor Torre. In her tribute piece “Run Free, Daddy," Ina remembers her father as a “true artist who never compromised his craft." Susan Fernandez-Magno August 3, 1956 - July 2, 2009 Ovarian cancer Survived by her husband Alex Magno, sons Kalayaan and Sandino, and grandson Kio She is hailed as the “voice of a protest generation," easily recognized for her socially relevant songs and unfailing advocacy for women’s rights. During her performances in the anti-Marcos rallies in the early 1980s, she was one half of the Inang Laya duo with recently retired Civil Service Commissioner Karina Constantino-David. "Her voice soared above all of the ugliness during the Marcos dictatorship," said theater director and close friend Chris Millado. Called Susan Fern by her friends, she was involved in various cultural activities, among which were acting in the 1990s children’s show Bulilit and hosting Concert at the Park for 11 years. She played at nightly gigs until 2008. Susan was featured in the Ako Mismo 2008 campaign as the “nightingale of Philippine progressive political movement." She was quoted by the campaign as wanting to “serve to inspire others about doing something (no matter how small) within one's own capacities to make a difference in our lives." Odette Alcantara October 1, 1941 - September 22, 2009 Aneurysm Survived by her husband Mario, four sons, and thirteen grandchildren: Ara, Ika, Miguelito, Tish-tish, Nicolie, Super-love, Bambino, Bola, Tam-tam, Gio, Gia, Ryan, Ashton and Brianna Staunch environmentalist Odette Alcantara was known for her tireless devotion to saving the environment, starting from her own backyard. Promoting the use of a compost system at home, Alcantara made her Blue Ridge community a model for zero waste management. She was the Philippines’ country coordinator for the Earth Day Network and convener of Artists for the Environment, as well as founder of Earth Philippines. She loved art and artists as much as she loved the earth, and would frequently host gatherings at her house where music, poetry, and home-cooked organic food lightened up her guests' spirits. She believed that “what’s personal is political," and her motto was "L-A-H-A-T: Lupa, Araw, Hangin, Ako, Tubig. Lahat magkaugnay," according to Binggirl Clemente, an Earth Day Network colleague. Von Hernandez, Executive Director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia, wrote that Odette was a “brilliant communicator who distilled the oftentimes complicated and technical concepts of ecology into simple, witty yet compelling morsels of Filipino wisdom." Clemente said friends and family planted trees to honor the memory of Tita Odette in accordance with her wishes that when she goes, “I don’t want flowers, I just want trees." MEDIA Alecks Pabico Liver cancer Survived by his wife Mira and children Marlee and Kaya Online journalism pioneer Alecks Pabico helped set up the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism website, which hosted the nation’s first journalism group blog. He was “journalism’s gentle warrior," said PCIJ on its website. He is remembered as a modest and hardworking writer, making his way up from training assistant in 1994 to a member of the Center’s Board of Editors in 2009. Shiela Coronel of PCIJ wrote that he was always one of a kind, a vegetarian Rastafarian who dressed more like a member of a reggae band than a journalist. “Although he made strong conclusions in his writing, in person Alecks was so mild and so gentle and had such an uncanny sense of humor," she recalled. Pabico studied Architecture in U.P. Diliman and was editor of the Philippine Collegian from 1992 to 1993. Celso “Sonny" Trinidad November 23, 2009 One of the all-time greats in Philippine comics history, Sonny Trinidad was a Marvel comics Conan artist mainstay in the early ‘70s. “Call of Dracula," an unpublished 26-page artwork story done in 1978 for a Marvel Monster Magazine, is being sold online for $3,250. Among his contributions to Philippine comics are illustrations for novelist Marcial Buanno’s “Guido Mortal" and “Arkong Bato" in the late sixties. Trinidad was awarded Best Serial Illustrator by KOMEPEB Parangal sa Komiks in 1984. His work VIRGA also won in the Best Novel Illustration Fantasy Category. Trinidad’s first exposure to comics was through Francisco V. Coching, whom he served as an assistant in his early years in the profession. Gerry Alanguilan wrote in his website that Trinidad “eventually grew on his own as an artist, adapting several styles that fit both serious and semi-cartoony." “Sonny Trinidad had the greatest name of any comics inker ever," wrote Heidi MacDonald in Publisher Weekly’s The Beat: The News Blog of Comic Culture. Alexis Tioseco & Nika Bohinc Film critics and lovers Alexis and Nika were killed in what appeared to be a robbery in their house in Quezon City last Sept. 1. The suspects, one of them Criselda Dayag who was a housemaid of Tioseco, remain at large. Stolen were a laptop, which contained unpublished articles, and other valuables. Tioseco was a faculty member of the arts department of the University of Asia and the Pacific and founding editor of Criticine.com, a film critique website on Southeast Asian Cinema. He was known for his efforts to promote Philippine independent cinema through contributions to several local dailies,as well as foreign publications such as Screen International, Ekra, Panic, Senses of Cinema.com, Osian's Cinema.com, and catalogues of the Torino and Pesaro International Film Festivals. Bohinc was editor-in-chief of Ekran film magazine, which regularly featured well-known writers on the international festival circuit. A forceful personality in Slovenia’s film industry, Nika was known as intimidating and passionate about cinema. “Hearing Nika speak with fiery emotion was par for the course. If she was calm and not voicing her opinions, there was usually something wrong," said film critic Gabe Klinger in a eulogy. "Parang lumalabas yung kaluluwa niya sa pagsalita niya, sobrang intense," said filmmaker John Torres about Nika, whom he had introduced to Alexis in Rotterdam. Nika eventually left her job in Slovenia to live with Alexis in the Philippines. In his article “The Letter I Would Love to Read to You in Person" published by Rogue magazine, which Klinger called the definitive manifesto on Philippine film that will soon become a canonical piece of critical writing, Alexis wrote to Nika, “The first impulse of any good film critic, and to this I think you would agree, must be of love. November 23 Media Martyrs At least 57 people, more than half of them media workers, died in the gruesome massacre in Ampatuan town in Maguindanao that has been condemned as the bloodiest in the history of journalism. Veteran broadcast journalist Jessica Soho has said the election-related killings have changed the rules of news coverage, that had often relied on safety in numbers, and the media victims have become martyrs whose deaths will not have been in vain if journalists everywhere continue to uphold the principles of democracy. Along with other innocents, the journalists were mercilessly gunned down while accompanying members of the Mangudadatu clan and their lawyers in a convoy from Buluan town to the Maguindanao capital of Shariff Aguak to file the certificate of candidacy of Datu Ismail “Toto" Mangudadatu for the gubernatorial post. As verified by the Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists’ mission, what follows is a complete list of the 30 Media Martyrs of Maguindanao: 1. Adolfo, Benjie, Gold Star Daily, Koronadal City 2. Araneta, Henry, Radio DZRH, General Santos City 3. Arriola, McDelbert “Mac-Mac," UNTV, General Santos City 4. Bataluna, Rubello, Gold Star Daily, Koronadal City 5. Betia, Arturo, Periodico Ini, General Santos City 6. Cabillo, Romeo Jimmy, Midland Review, Tacurong City 7. Cablitas, Marites, News Focus, General Santos City 8. Cachuela, Hannibal, Punto News, Koronadal City 9. Caniban, John, Periodico Ini, General Santos City 10. Dalmacio, Lea, Socsargen News, General Santos City 11. Decina, Noel, Periodico Ini, General Santos City 12. Dela Cruz, Gina, Saksi News, General Santos City 13. Dohillo, Eugene, UNTV, General Santos City 14. Duhay, Jhoy, Gold Star Daily, Tacurong City 15. Gatchalian, Santos, DXGO, Davao City 16. Legarte, Bienvenido, Jr., Prontiera News, Koronadal City 17. Lupogan, Lindo, Mindanao Daily Gazette, Davao City 18. Maravilla, Ernesto “Bart," Bombo Radyo, Koronadal City 19. Merisco, Rey, Periodico Ini, Koronadal City 20. Momay, Reynaldo “Bebot" Momay, Midland Review, Tacurong City 21. Montaño, Marife “Neneng," Saksi News, General Santos City 22. Morales, Rosell, News Focus, General Santos City 23. Nuñez, Victor, UNTV, General Santos City 24. Perante, Ronnie, Gold Star Daily correspondent, Koronadal City 25. Parcon, Joel, Prontiera News, Koronadal City 26. Razon, Fernando “Rani," Periodico Ini, General Santos City 27. Reblando, Alejandro “Bong," Manila Bulletin, General Santos City 28. Salaysay, Napoleon, Mindanao Gazette, Cotabato City 29. Subang, Ian, Socsargen Today, General Santos City 30. Teodoro, Andres “Andy," Central Mindanao Inquirer, Tacurong City Still unaccounted for: Evardo, Jolito, UNTV General Santos City HEROES Muelmar “Toto" Magallanes Survived by his parents Samuel and Maria Luz, and older brother Joefran The previously unknown 18-year old suddenly became famous when he lost his life in the epic floods of Ondoy in metro Manila after saving 30 people. Three-fourths of the Philippine capital went under water in the record rainfall, the worst the region had suffered in 40 years. Magallanes, a strong swimmer, was able to bring his family and neighbors to higher ground in Barangay Bagong Silangan, Quezon City with the help of his brother. Their houses were submerged in the floods and Magallanes had to swim back and forth, rescuing people from their rooftops. His last rescue was a mother and her baby, who were clinging to a Styrofoam box and would have been swept away if he had not helped bring them to safety. “I am going to be forever grateful to Muelmar," said Menchie Penalosa, the mother of the six-month old girl, in an AFP article posted on The Age. “He gave his life for my baby. I will never forget his sacrifice." In the same story, Muelmar’s father was quoted as saying “he always had a good heart." Writer Dennis Villegas quotes Maria Luz, Muelmar’s mother, as saying, "He's a very good son, always helpful and very thoughtful. Why did he have to die? I should have died, not him." Magallanes was heralded as one of Time Magazine’s top ten heroes of 2009. Samuel Ong Cardiac arrest due to cancer Survived by his father and siblings The former National Bureau of Investigation official is best known for exposing the “Hello, Garci" tapes which unearthed the 2004 election scandal that sparked calls for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s resignation. According to his relatives, Ong wanted to be remembered as a public official who risked his family’s security in the search for truth. “Maaalala si Samuel bilang bayani ng katotohanan," said former President Joseph Estrada. - YA, GMANews.TV
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