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Oldest living Filipino war veteran, UP's oldest alumnus dies at 107
(Updated 5:15 a.m.) The Philippine's oldest World War II veteran, 107-year-old Engineer Fernando Perez Javier, died Monday morning in Baguio City due to an illness, the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office announced.
Javier's remains were cremated and will be brought to Quezon City on July 2. He will be interred at the Garden of the Divine Word Columbarium located within the compound of the Christ The King Mission Seminary of the Divine Word Missionaries along E. Rodriguez, Sr. Avenue.
Born on December 22, 1907 in Ilocos Norte, Javier graduated from the University of the Philippines in 1933, and he was thus also UP’s oldest living alumnus. He was UP’s “Century Man” who lit the first of 100 torches during the celebration of the state university’s centennial celebratio on January 8, 2008.
“I was expecting to see some of my batchmates,” Javier had joked during the UP Centennial kick-off ceremony.
Image credit: PVAO (Philippine Veterans Affairs Office)
Four months later, Javier was a guest speaker at the commencement exercises of the National College of Public Administration and Governance.
"In spite of stark differences between life in the 1940s and life today, I see many similarities. Our country may not be devastated by war, but it is beset by problems,” Engr. Javier said.
“There are problems of underemployment for even young graduates as yourselves, and overpopulation and poverty continue to exist. There is moral degeneration. Corruption and dishonesty are rampant everywhere."
Javier obtained his engineering license at 19, and soon after he was building roads in Puerto Princesa, Palawan where he was the assistant district engineer.
At the onset of World War II, he was conscripted as a third lieutenant in the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE). He was among those who were forced to surrender on April 9, 1942 after three months of fierce fighting in Bataan.
Javier, along with thousands of American and Filipino soldiers, was then forced to trek the infamous 70-mile Bataan Death March.
He was then held as a prisoner-of-war (POW) at a concentration camp in Capas, Tarlac, where his brother and fellow army officer, Jose, was also a prisoner.
After the war, Javier continued his work as a civil engineer until his retirement from government service.
But he still had much more energy left in him, so he worked worked as a project engineer in South Korea, and later was a civil engineer for the US Air Force's base in Okinawa, Japan. He worked on a US-AID project in Afghanistan, after which he was hired by the US Navy in Japan. Later on, Javier served as an environmental engineer in Guam, where he is credited for his Sanitary Survey of Merizo, Guam.
In a statement, Malacañang recalled Third Lieutenant Javier's service to the country. “The nation owes much to the service of patriots like him. May his life of service inspire today’s generation to serve their country with his loyalty, dignity, and steadfastness,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said.
Javier's spouse, Lourdes Paz, died on December 30, 1968. He is survived by his two biological children and an adopted daughter: Fernando Jr., a chemist; and Andrew, a former newscaster, both of whom are based in the US; and Lorna, who was his companion in his residence in Camdas Subdivision, Baguio City. He also has seven grandchildren. — DVM/ELR, GMA News
Javier's remains were cremated and will be brought to Quezon City on July 2. He will be interred at the Garden of the Divine Word Columbarium located within the compound of the Christ The King Mission Seminary of the Divine Word Missionaries along E. Rodriguez, Sr. Avenue.
Born on December 22, 1907 in Ilocos Norte, Javier graduated from the University of the Philippines in 1933, and he was thus also UP’s oldest living alumnus. He was UP’s “Century Man” who lit the first of 100 torches during the celebration of the state university’s centennial celebratio on January 8, 2008.
“I was expecting to see some of my batchmates,” Javier had joked during the UP Centennial kick-off ceremony.
Image credit: PVAO (Philippine Veterans Affairs Office)
Four months later, Javier was a guest speaker at the commencement exercises of the National College of Public Administration and Governance.
"In spite of stark differences between life in the 1940s and life today, I see many similarities. Our country may not be devastated by war, but it is beset by problems,” Engr. Javier said.
“There are problems of underemployment for even young graduates as yourselves, and overpopulation and poverty continue to exist. There is moral degeneration. Corruption and dishonesty are rampant everywhere."
Javier obtained his engineering license at 19, and soon after he was building roads in Puerto Princesa, Palawan where he was the assistant district engineer.
At the onset of World War II, he was conscripted as a third lieutenant in the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE). He was among those who were forced to surrender on April 9, 1942 after three months of fierce fighting in Bataan.
Javier, along with thousands of American and Filipino soldiers, was then forced to trek the infamous 70-mile Bataan Death March.
He was then held as a prisoner-of-war (POW) at a concentration camp in Capas, Tarlac, where his brother and fellow army officer, Jose, was also a prisoner.
After the war, Javier continued his work as a civil engineer until his retirement from government service.
But he still had much more energy left in him, so he worked worked as a project engineer in South Korea, and later was a civil engineer for the US Air Force's base in Okinawa, Japan. He worked on a US-AID project in Afghanistan, after which he was hired by the US Navy in Japan. Later on, Javier served as an environmental engineer in Guam, where he is credited for his Sanitary Survey of Merizo, Guam.
In a statement, Malacañang recalled Third Lieutenant Javier's service to the country. “The nation owes much to the service of patriots like him. May his life of service inspire today’s generation to serve their country with his loyalty, dignity, and steadfastness,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said.
Javier's spouse, Lourdes Paz, died on December 30, 1968. He is survived by his two biological children and an adopted daughter: Fernando Jr., a chemist; and Andrew, a former newscaster, both of whom are based in the US; and Lorna, who was his companion in his residence in Camdas Subdivision, Baguio City. He also has seven grandchildren. — DVM/ELR, GMA News
