My dearest 95yr old Mama Anita peacefully joined our Lord God Almighty (and my Papa Andoy) this morning at 6AM, Oct 10th, in her sleep at our Lingayen home. Thank you so much Ma. You’ll live in our hearts forever!
♥❤💓 CHEERS in heaven!
Written by KIM G Quilinguing
“Perhaps, when I end my tenure as the Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights, and when I return to perhaps a teaching role or a mentoring role, I am certain, I will return once more to many of these great works of Philosophy and refresh my mind about the important things that we must confront as a people, as humanity. And I will always return to those important teachings.”
Such were the words of the Commission on Human Rights Chairperson and University of the Philippine alumnus Jose Luis Martin Chito C. Gascon in a video for freshies posted by the UP Diliman Apeiron Core Group on September 28. The group is the official student volunteer arm of the Department of Philosophy.
Early Saturday morning, October 9, Gascon’s brother Miguel shared a post on Facebook which read: “Sa dami mong laban, sa COVID pa tayo natalo.” He was 57.
Gascon graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman in 1988. He would also later earn his Bachelor of Laws degree in UP in 1996. Furthering his studies, he would finish a Master of Laws degree at Cambridge in 1997.
In the video for freshies shared by the Apeiron Core Group, Gascon said he found Philosophy as an essential foundational subject. It provides, he said, “an opportunity to affirm one’s principles, as well as the capacity to look wide and long, towards our society, to see how there could be progress, [and] change might happen.”
An active student leader, Gascon was Chair of the UP Student Council from 1985 to 1986. He led his fellow students in active-non-violent protest actions, which contributed to and culminated in the People Power Revolution and the ouster of Marcos in 1986.
Later, Gascon represented the youth as the youngest delegate to the 1986 Constitutional Convention, which prepared the 1987 Philippine Constitution. Afterward, he served as the youngest member of the 8th Congress from 1990 to 1992.
After his studies abroad, he returned to the country and served as Undersecretary of Education from 2002 to 2005. He also worked as a political officer for then-Senator Mar Roxas at the Senate from 2008 to 2010. He was a Board Member of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority from 2010 to 2011. He served as Undersecretary at the Office of the President from 2011 to 2014. Simultaneously, he was part of the government delegation to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the Universal Periodic Review in 2012. After leaving Malacañang, he became a Human Rights Victims Claims Board member from 2014 to 2015. He was appointed Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights in 2015.
His appointment to the Commission was no surprise. Gascon spent many years advocating for human rights, social justice, and social change. From 1997 to 2002, he was Executive Director of the National Institute for Policy Studies. In 2005, Gascon became the Executive Director of Lawyers League for Liberty (LIBERTAS). This organization aids advocacy groups in electoral reform, transparency in governance, and human rights. In the same year, he would also receive a Democracy and Development Fellowship from Stanford University’s Center for Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law. In 2007, Gascon became a Fellow at the Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellowship of the National Endowment for Democracy. From 2008 to 2011, he was the Director-General of the Liberal Party.
Aside from his involvement in civil society, Gascon was active in reconciliation efforts with insurgent groups. He was a member of the Technical Working Group on Power Sharing with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, an alternate panel member in the peace talks with the MILF. Gascon was also a member of the AdHoc High-Level Working group for the Tripartite Review of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s Peace Committee for Southern Philippines.
Gascon was a panel member of peace negotiations with the National Democratic Front between 2001 to 2004. From 2010-2014, he chaired the Government’s Human Rights Monitoring Committee. The Committee monitored the peace process within the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law framework.
In recent years, Gascon would face challenges as head of the constitutional body, ensuring the promotion, protection, and preservation of human rights enshrined in the Constitution. In an interview on Esquire Philippines in 2017, he remained undaunted by the constant criticism of the CHR by those in halls of power and on social media. The Commission has been very vocal on the rise of extra-judicial killings and human rights violations. “Right now, in a sense, I’m going back to basics. I was moved into action by the human rights violations I saw happening during the dictatorship. And now I have been allowed to serve the people in an institution that is mandated to promote human rights, in a set of circumstances that are not ideal,” he said.
He constantly faced challenges in his advocacy for human rights, social justice, and social change for many years. And yet, he remained optimistic, even telling the Esquire interviewer: “The revolution you aspire for is out there on the horizon. It’s something you never give up on.”
In a recent video shared by the Apeiron Core Group, Gascon advised the new generation of Iskolar ng Bayan to “Find your niche, be as inquisitive, and as useful as you can be. And apply what you learn to society. That’s all that we can do.”
Source: https://up.edu.ph/human-rights-icon-chito-gascon-passes-away/
It is with deepest sorrow that we announce the passing of Chairperson Jose Luis Martin “Chito” Gascon. He passed away early this Saturday morning, 9 October 2021, due to Covid-19 complications. He was 57.
At a time of unprecedented human rights challenges, Chair Chito courageously and steadfastly upheld the constitutional mandate of the Commission. Amidst the unrelenting attacks against the institution and to him personally, he was unwavering and unflinching in fighting for the universal values of freedom, truth, and justice that are essential in the pursuit of human rights. He was undaunting in the fight for human rights, rule of law, and democracy out of deep reverence to the equal rights and dignity of all.
His leadership in the Commission has inspired and nurtured a culture of enabling, empowering, and safe environment that move CHR personnel to always serve with genuine compassion or Serbisyong may Malasakit, utmost integrity, and excellence. He impressed upon the CHR personnel and fellow human rights workers the impact and value of our work especially to those who have it least.
CHR will continue the human rights work with equal fervor and sincerity that Chair Chito exemplified in his work. The Commission en banc (CeB) will continue to function with Commissioner Karen Gomez Dumpit as the Officer-in-Charge. As a National Human Rights Institution that embodies the principle of pluralism, the CeB comprise of Commissioners from diverse background, advocacy, and human rights expertise to be able to represent and give voice to the various sectors in society.
Further announcement on the details of Chair Chito’s memorial will be made with due consideration to the restrictions of the pandemic.
Chair Chito will be deeply missed. We ask for prayers for the eternal repose of his soul.
Source: Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines FB page
By: Ryan D. Rosaur
ILIGAN CITY—The former president of the Mindanao State University (MSU), Dr. Ahmad Domocao Engracia Alonto Jr., died on Friday, Oct. 1, the university and his family announced.
“The MSU administration, constituents, and community would like to express deepest condolences and sympathy to the family of former MSU President Ahmad Domocao “Jun” Alonto Jr., who has just returned to his Creator,” said a statement from MSU on Friday.
In a social media post, Trade Undersecretary Abdulgani Macatoman, his son-in-law, said that before he died on Friday morning, Alonto had been “frail” in the past weeks.
Alonto was part of the then surging anti-Marcos democratic forces in the 1980s.
He took the helm of MSU in 1986, right after the uprising that swept President Corazon Aquino into power. He was eventually appointed to a regular term as president from 1987 to 1992.
Alonto is the son of the late Sen. Ahmad Domocao A. Alonto Sr., an eminent Maranao politician who authored, among many others, the MSU charter.
He is the brother of former Lanao del Sur Gov. Soraya Alonto-Adiong.
In 2001, Alonto was part of the negotiating panel of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front chaired by its then military chief Murad Ebrahim that carried out peace talks with the government after President Joseph Estrada’s all-out war a year earlier.
Alonto was an agriculturist, earning his agriculture degrees from the Mindanao Institute of Technology (now University of Southern Mindanao) in Kabacan, Cotabato, and the University of the Philippines in Los Baños.
Source: https://bit.ly/3owE42f
Retired mathematics professor Cesar G. Tapia, PhD passed away on Sept. 21. He was 73.
Tapia worked in UP as instructor at the then Department (now Institute) of Mathematics (IM) immediately after he earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1970. There he stayed up until his retirement in 2012 with the rank of Professor 12.
Tapia handled courses on linear programming, non-linear programming, integer programming and combinatorial optimization, dynamic programing, and numerical analysis.
As UP administrator, Tapia served as UP Diliman (UPD) assistant university registrar, and was college secretary of the College of Arts and Sciences. At the College of Science, he was associate dean for administration and chair of the Computer Research System Committee that set-up the Computational Science Research Center (CSRC). The CSRC is a facility that provides computing support to researchers and graduate students engaged in information system development, algebraic computations for modeling, and simulations.
According to the IM Facebook post, Tapia was IM program head for operations research for many years. He served as affiliate at the UP College of Business Administration and the UP Technology Management Center.
Tapia has published numerous papers in operations research and mathematical programming, and has been awarded multiple times. Among his awards were the 1998 Philamlife Insurance Company Chair for Professor of Mathematics, the 1995 PNOC DJ Professorial Chair in Science, and the1995 Outstanding Published Research, UP Diliman Chancellor’s Award.
Tapia earned his master of science in mathematics (1976) and his PhD in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (Operations Research, 1991) from UPD and University of New South Wales, Australia, respectively. He had post-graduate studies at the Université Scientifique et Médicale, Grenoble, France (1981-1982), University of London (1977-1978), and the University of Bucharest (1976-1977). He also had post-doctoral studies at McGill University, Montreal, Canada from January to May 1992.
Source: https://upd.edu.ph/tapia-73/
It is with deep sadness that the Board of Trustees of Holy Angel University announces the passing of the University’s ninth President, DR. LUIS MARIA R. CALINGO on the first day of October, two thousand and twenty-one, on the eve of the Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels.
The HAU administration, faculty, employees, students and alumni express their sincerest condolences to the bereaved family and friends of Dr. Calingo and join everyone in praying for the eternal repose of his soul.
Please join the University in a Prayer Service for Dr. Calingo on October 3, 5:00 PM to be livestreamed on HAU’s Facebook and Youtube accounts.
“And I heard a voice of heaven saying, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord, for they rest from their labours, and their works do follow them.'”
― Revelation 14:13
Those who wish to express their condolences and share fond memories of the departed president may do so in the conversation thread on this post.
In lieu of flowers, please send your donations to BPI Account No. 9683 0123 32 for the HAU Scholarship Funds.
Please wait for further announcements and details.
Source: Holy Angel University FB page
The UPCM mourns the loss of the president of our UPCM Faculty Association, Dr. Allan Hilario. He was a faculty of our Biochemistry and Molecular Biology department. He was very active in our faculty activities such as the faculty recognition and faculty awards ceremonies among others.
The content of our faculty association page in our website was made by Dr. Hilario. You may read and watch the content he created and provided at
https://cm.upm.edu.ph/p/faculty/
Our sincerest condolences to his family and loved ones.
We thank you for your service to the college. Rest in peace sir.
Source: UP College of Medicine FB page
Let’s offer a prayer for our departed alumna. May she rest in peace.
If you have heard or read about any fellow UPLB alumnus/alumna who passed away, please inform us through https://alum.uplb.edu.ph/submit-obituary
Source: UPLB Office of Alumni Relations
Let’s offer a prayer for our departed alumnus. May he rest in peace.
If you have heard or read about any fellow UPLB alumnus/alumna who passed away, please inform us through https://alum.uplb.edu.ph/submit-obituary
Source: UPLB Office of Alumni Relations
Let’s offer a prayer for our departed alumnus. May he rest in peace.
If you have heard or read about any fellow UPLB alumnus/alumna who passed away, please inform us through https://alum.uplb.edu.ph/submit-obituary
Source: UPLB Office of Alumni Relations
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