Carmen Guerrero Nakpil, former chair of the National Historical Commission, has died

Carmen Guerrero Nakpil, chair of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines from 1967 to 1971, has died on Monday morning.

Her daughter Gemma Cruz Araneta confirmed it to Xiao Chua, GMA News Online contributor. She was 96 years old.

According to a Facebook post by the NHCP, Mrs. Nakpil died at 1:30am on July 30, 2018.

“Her works in Philippine history and culture and her contributions to the development of the National Historial Commission of the Philippines will live on and serve as a guide for succeeding generations of Filipinos,” read a portion of NHCP’s post.

In his Facebook post, Xiao narrated receiving a sad text from Gemma. “I am one with the Cruz and Nakpil families in this time of grief. They lost their mother, their matriarch but the Nation also lost a National Treasure," Chua wrote.

Speaking to GMA News Online, Xiao said Mrs. Nakpil died of pneumonia.

The wake will be at the Heritage Memorial Park starting Tuesday, July 31 at 5pm. Daily masses will be at 7pm. There will be a funeral mass at 9am on Thursday, August 2, followed by interment at the Loyal Memorial Park in Marikina.

Carmen Guerrero Nakpil was born on July 19, 1922 in Ermita, Manila. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1942 at St. Therera’s College and went on to become a columnist, journalist, essayist, and historian. In 1988, the  Gawad Balagtas was awarded to her, as was the SEA Write Award in 1990. 

"As a Public Historian, she was the woman who carried on the torch from Mariano Ponce, José Rizal, Epifanio de los Santos and José P. Santos and inspired many others to follow in the path of bringing history closer to the people with her beautiful prose and impeccable research," continued Xiao. — LA, GMA News