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In memoriam: Notable Pinoys who passed away in 2013
With the loss of National Artists, film and stage directors, actors, singers, journalists, priests, and civil servants, it can be said that the Philippines has become a slightly less vibrant place this 2013. Let us have a moment of silence in praise of these souls who made an impact on our country or who made our lives a little brighter by lending us their light.
November 10, 1939 – January 8, 2013
Considered the father of Filipino liturgists whose expertise was sought the world over, theologian Chupungco was also the former rector of San Beda Rizal, Mendiola, and Alabang. He also produced the Handbook for Liturgical Studies, which is the standard set of textbooks for liturgical education in the world. The Benedictine monk died at 5 a.m. In Malaybalay, Bukidnon, of a heart attack.
April 30, 1929 – January 24, 2013
Though he was Barangay Laging Handa's simple barangay captain at the time of his death, 83-year-old Pimentel was an actor and popular noontime variety show host. Shows include “Student Canteen” and the 38-year-old “Kwarta o Kahon.” Around the barangay, he was best-known for his cleanliness, often seen removing political advertisements from posts. He was found unconscious by his wife after slipping in the bathroom.
Egay Navarro
1950 – January 30, 2013
A cameraman and cinematographer who began shooting news events at the age of 19, Navarro documented subjects as varied as the tribes of the Cordilleras, artists and musicians, rebels and killers, and even Ferdinand Marcos at the height of his power. In his long career in news, Navarro never lost his child-like enthusiasm for his craft, designing and building his own equipment and rising before dawn to shoot the sunrise. He died of complications of a liver disorder at 62.
Elvie Villasanta
1950 – January 30, 2013
A cameraman and cinematographer who began shooting news events at the age of 19, Navarro documented subjects as varied as the tribes of the Cordilleras, artists and musicians, rebels and killers, and even Ferdinand Marcos at the height of his power. In his long career in news, Navarro never lost his child-like enthusiasm for his craft, designing and building his own equipment and rising before dawn to shoot the sunrise. He died of complications of a liver disorder at 62.
Elvie Villasanta
December 14, 1927 – February 8, 2013
The subject of “Mommy Elvie's Problematic Show,” the comedienne succumbed to her year-long battle with breast cancer at St Luke's Medical Center in Taguig. She also starred in the reality-comedy show “Mommy Elvie @ 18” and “The Misadventures of Ariel and Maverick”—the former of the comedy duo being her son, Ariel Villasanta. Immediately after her first cancer scare, she came up with her own bucket list, one of the items of which was to become famous at the age of 80.
November 24, 1939 – March 10, 2013
Movie director, writer, and producer Zialcita's films were best known for their long titles and sharp dialogue (“Nagalit Ang Buwan Sa Haba Ng Gabi,” “Paano Ang Kahapon Kung Wala Na Ang Ngayon”). He was also known for not using a script before shooting. It was from his later movies that the term “glossy films” was coined, although he has also made action movies, bomba movies, and sex comedies. He was in a coma for over a year before he died, and finally passed away at age 73.
April 3, 1949 – March 15, 2013
The comedian was best known for his work on hit 80s TV series “Champoy,” which aired for six years from 1980 to 1986. He died of double pneumonia at a hospital in Rochester, New York, aged 63.
March 29, 1937 – April 30, 2013
The father of Philippine conceptual art, Chabet was 76 when he succumbed to a heart attack, the second to hit him the day after her was rushed to UERM for a high fever and chills. A graduate of architecture at the University of Sto. Tomas, he was also the founding museum director of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
October 27, 1928 – April 3, 2013
Former Finance Secretary Vicente “Ting” Jayme, who was also co-founder of the National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL), died of cardiac arrest at the age of 84. Jayme worked with the Federation of Free Workers, headed the Private Development Corporation of the Philippines, served as the President of the Philippine Chamber of Industries, and had a six-year term as the Executive Director of the Asian Development Bank from 1991-1997. He was the DOF Secretary during the administration of former president Corazon Aquino.
January 26, 1917 – May 12, 2013
A National Artist for Theater, the actress, director, and writer was born in Roxas City, Capiz. Along with husband, National Artist Lamberto Avellana, she co-founded the Barangay Theatre Guild in 1939, which paved the way for the popularization of theater and dramatic arts in the country, utilizing radio and television. She starred in several stage plays but is best remembered for her performance as Candida in Nick Joaquin's “Portrait of the Artist as Filipino,” for which she wrote the 1955 screenplay.
Raul Gonzalez
c. 1935 – May 15, 2013
Cancer ended Gonzalez's long career in journalism and government at the age of 78, having been a reporter for the "Manila Chronicle", Vice President of Public Affairs for the Government Service Insurance System, and being appointed to the board of directors of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp by former President Corazon Aquino and President Benigno Aquino III. He was an op-ed writer and columnist for "The Philippine Star", "Evening Star", "The Evening Paper", and the "Daily Tribune" later in life.
February 27, 1929 – May 13, 2013
Veteran actress Bella Flores played iconic villain roles in her 62 years in showbiz. Born Remedios Papa Dancel, she was a 14-year-old college sophomore at Far Eastern University when she appeared in her first film, “Tatlong Balaraw.” For her role in “Ang Kaibigan Kong Santo Niño,” she received the 1967 FAMAS Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her death at 84 was the result of complications because of a recent hip surgery.
July 7, 1924 – May 28, 2013
National Artist Eddie Romero lost his battle with prostate cancer at the age of 88. His works are considered as some of the finest in Philippine Cinema, with notable films including “Ganito Kami Noon...Paano Kayo Ngayon?” and the 13-part adaptation of Jose Rizal's “Noli Me Tangere.” Some of director Quentin Tarantino's grindhouse images were drawn from Romero's “Twilight People.” Romero also participated in the Necrological Services for the National Artist Awards, a protest action against Malacañang’s including its own candidates in that year’s awardees without due process.
January 19, 1947 – July 5, 2013
Movie, television, and theater actress Ama Quiambao's first onscreen role was as a faithful follower of faith healer Elsa in Ishmael Bernal's “Himala.” She won her first Best Actress Award for her work in the 2012 Cinemalaya entry “Diablo.” She was acting in Virgin LabFest 2013 entry “Pamanhikan” when she collapsed in mid-performance due to a heart attack. She was stabilized but remained comatose at San Juan de Dios Hospital in Pasay until she died peacefully.
July 11, 1928 – July 9, 2013
Singer and professor Andrea Veneracion was the founder, choirmaster, and choral arranger of the world-famous choral group University of the Philippines Madrigal Singers, which continues to win top prizes in the world's most prestigious competitions. Proficient in voice and piano, the fondly-called “Ma'am OA” suffered a massive stroke in 2005 that led to her paralysis and comatose state until her death. The group held many benefit concerts to help her family pay for her medical expenses.
Rodolfo Tan Cardoso
December 25, 1937 – August 21, 2013
Chess International Cardoso began his career at a young age. At 19, he was the Philippine Junior Champion, earning the victor's prize of $325 against then-14-year-old US Junior Champion Bobby Fischer and placing fourth in the World Junior Championship in Toronto, Canada. He also played for the Philippines in four Chess Olympiads (Moscow, Munich, Skopje, Nice). Cardoso died of a heart attack.
August 26, 1938 – August 15, 2013
Among the most visible and vociferous opponents of the Marcos regime, stage and movie director, activist, and political detainee Behn Cervantes, 74, died due to complications from pneumonia. His work in theater included performances in Broadway musicals such as “Guys and Dolls” as well as activist plays “Pagsambang Bayan” and “Estados Unidos versus Juan Matapang Cruz.” The 1976 film “Sakada,” a thinly-veiled criticism of the country's feudal power structure, is what led to his detainment. In 1974, Cervantes established the UP Repertory Company “to combat the censorship that was in place during Martial Law.”
November 1, 1954 – September 7, 2013
Born Susan Toyogon, the Queen of Visayan Songs popularized such classic songs as “Usahay,” “Matud Nila,” and “Miss Kita Kung Christmas.” She began singing at a young age and went to Manila after high school to begin her career, eventually achieving success in several music markets (Visayan, Tagalog, Hiligaynon, Ilocano), but battled a drug addiction that eventually prompted her partner to take their children away from her. A kidney transplant patient, she made her comeback in 2010, but lost her battle to colon cancer at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute. She was 58.
December 2, 1928 – September 13, 2013
Daza had a vibrant career as a chef, restauranteur, food columnist, cooking contest judge, Manila Gas Cooking school director, radio show host, and the host of several hit TV cooking shows, one of which was "Cooking It Up with Nora," and another of which took on the name of her well-known cookbook, "Let's Cook with Nora." The said cookbook has been guiding the culinary experiments of Philippine housewives since 1969. She died of a heart attack in her sleep, aged 84.
February 6, 1947 – September 11, 2013
Ex-Solicitor General, well-known Marcos family critic, and human rights lawyer Frank Chavez died of a heart attack at 66. Chavez served as a Bar examiner during the 1985 Bar exams, and, at age 38, he was the youngest to do so. He was named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) in 1986 for his achievements in law and human rights. He had been battling cancer since 2009 and even underwent a bone marrow transplant but suffered an infection.
March 24, 1946 – October 7, 2013
Born in San Juan, Batangas, Mendoza had a long career as a professional law enforcer before he became Secretary of the Department of Transportation and Communications from 2002 to 2010 and then the Philippine Executive Secretary for six months in 2010. He died of a heart attack at age 67.
July 16, 1938 – October 20, 2013
Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, whose followers had engaged Malaysian forces in a confrontation in Sabah earlier this year, died at age 75 in Quezon City due to multiple organ failure. Sultan Kiram was crowned in 1986, ran for senator in 2007 under then President Gloria Arroyo's TEAM Unity, but lost. He described himself as “the poorest sultan in the world,” leaving behind eight children and two wives. His family and followers continue to try to “repossess” Sabah.
September 14, 1940 – October 18, 2013
A distant nephew to former First Lady Imelda Marcos, Romualdez was a doctor before he was the Health secretary during the short-lived Estrada administration, or from 1998 to 2001. Known as “Doc Quasi” to friends, he pushed for a comprehensive healthcare reform during his stint as Health secretary, being instrumental in the Cheaper Medicine law, Philhealth, and Reproductive Health, among other things. He died at the Manila Doctors Hospital.
February 5, 1930 – October 27, 2013
Dr. F. Landa Jocano, 83, best known for his documentation and translation of the Central Visayan epic, the “Hinilawod”, among other contributions to anthropology and Philippine folk literature, died of an infarction. Jocano's other groundbreaking works include “Philippine Pre-History,” “Slum as a Way of Life,” “Filipino Social Structure and Value Orientation,” “Filipino Cultural Heritage,” “Myths and Legends of Early Filipinos,” “Philippines-USSR Relations,” and “Filipino Indigenous Ethnic Communities.” He was a professor emeritus at the University of the Philippines at the time of his death.
March 10, 1947 – November 23, 2013
Called the “Voice of People Power” for her fearless call for people to come to EDSA at the height of People Power and subsequently staying on air for 14 hours, 66-year-old Keithley died after a three-year fight with breast cancer. The sometime actress and broadcast journalist is the widow of fellow broadcaster Angelo Ylagan Castro Jr. and the mother of his three children.
Col. Manuel F. Segura
January 1, 1919 – November 29, 2013
The author of two books on Cebu guerrilla warfare during World War II, Segura died of pneumonia complications. A student of UP Diliman, he won some two dozen awards during his stay in the army.
Renato “Guido” del Prado
c. 1940 – November 2, 2013
Character Actor Renato del Prado was best known as “Guido” in the long-running soap opera “Anna Liza.” But before that, he had a long career in some 200 films, playing mostly villainous roles. But “Guido” stuck so much that some film credits actually billed him as such. He died in his home in San Diego California, aged 73.
c. 1948 – November 4, 2013
Fr. Dizon, 65, dedicated 40 years to the church of the poor and led the Workers Assistance Center, was a convenor of the elections watchdog group Kontra Daya, and was a prominent figure in the #abolishpork movement. He died of complications from diabetes at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute.
June 26, 1932 – December 25, 2013
“Mel” Mathay was Mayor of Quezon City from 1992 to 2001, the last title of his long political career. He died of a heart attack at Medical City in Pasig on Christmas day, at the age of 81. He is survived by his son Chuck Mathay and long-time partner Vilma Valera, whom he finally married earlier this year.
December 19, 1965 – December 18, 2013
Reggae band Tropical Depression's frontman Papadom passed away a day from his 48th birthday. His family declined divulging the cause of death. In his youth, he was part of punk band Absolute Zero and fronted both punk band Betrayed and ska band The Skavengers. His best known songs include “Kapayapaan” and “Aabot Din Tayo.” — KDM, GMA News
