Former reporter Mark Joseph Ubalde passes away

Former GMA News Online reporter Mark Joseph Ubalde has passed away. He was 33 when he wrote 30. But the legacy he leaves to his family, friends, and everyone whose lives he touched, continues beyond his passing.

Fresh from his graduation from UP Diliman in 2007, Ubalde landed his first job as GMA News Online news producer until 2010, then spent time in Germany for a media fellowship and returned to the Philippines as part of VERA Files.

He went on to become an associate editor for a magazine, then moved to TV5 where he worked for the network's news website, Interaksyon; as a TV weather anchor; and eventually became content manager of News5Everywhere. His work has won the admiration of his peers.

He left the media industry in 2017 and joined the government as a social media consultant for the Presidential Communications Operations Office and the Department of Information and Communication and Technology.

He also briefly taught journalism at UP Diliman, and worked as a website specialist for the Asian Development Bank and has since gained a reputation as an expert in the field of social media, providing consultancy and training to media practitioners here and abroad.

‘Marky’ wearing many hats

To those who knew him well, Mark was Seph and Marky: Seph the dancer, Marky the brother, Seph the artist, Marky the traveler, Seph the entertainer, Marky the cook,  Seph the reporter, Marky the speaker, and Marky the friend.

Mark wore many hats. But there was one he kept wearing. He loved to love. Experiences, friendships, relationships, life.

His love radiated and was almost infectious in everything he did - from being an emphatic speaker and lecturer to being the erstwhile “ghetto superstar” of the dance floor.

Mark’s entertainment skills did not end on stage. He enjoyed cooking and hosting events — movie marathons or talkathons — in his place that he proudly showed to his friends, having been one of the fruits of the rich life that he lived.

In between the busy professional life he led, he traveled the world, from the beaches of El Nido, the majestic views of Batanes, the temples of Bagan and the cityscapes of Australia, to chilly Europe.

Mark loved to travel so much this permeated to his friends who wouldn’t even send themselves to Tagaytay or Baguio. Such was the magnitude of his love.

He enjoyed capturing breathtaking views wherever he went, never missing out on a Kodak moment, his effervescent smile plastered on many of his travel photos.

Though he did not practice it as much, Mark was also an artist, gifted in the visual arts.

But one art form he mastered early on is love. Mark was a faithful, generous, and caring friend, ready to lend a helping hand and be a shoulder to cry on, which his friends fondly called "Alagang Mark/Seph."

To his family, Mark was the pillar that held them together through trying times. He admired his mother more than anyone else, keeping still at his bedside a tattered copy of Liwayway magazine that featured his mother on the frontpage. His mother’s untimely death several years back was a major blow to him but inspired him to be better at what he does and do more for his family.

Mark lived a full life, making sure he made his mark in any endeavor and experience.

His family extends gratitude to friends and colleagues who comforted them and paid respect to Mark's remains. He will lie in state at the Loyola Memorial Chapel and Crematorium on Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City until Friday, April 5, 2019. — MDM, GMA News

[Postscript: This tribute was written by some of Ubalde's closest friends: TJ Decano, Camille España, Nonie Isaac, Mark Merueñas, Apple Misada, Neil Reyes, Marvin Salazar, Tom Temprosa, Dano Tingcungco, and Jessie Villabrille.]