Cai Ordinario, 45

CAI ORDINARIO, a veteran journalist and communications professor, passed away on November 17 from cancer. She wrote on macroeconomic and urban development issues for BusinessMirror.

Ordinario’s two-decade career in journalism began at The Manila Times in 2002, where she initially reported for the lifestyle section. She later moved to business reporting, focusing on capital markets. 

After five years, she joined BusinessMirror, where she covered macroeconomic issues until 2012. She joined Rappler, reporting for the general business beat until May 2013. She returned to BusinessMirror in June 2013 to report on the macroeconomy, housing, and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. 

In an X post, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) paid tribute to the award-winning journalist’s “insightful reporting on statistics and the economy.” PSA recalled Ordinario’s receipt of multiple citations for Best Statistical Reporting in Print Media at the National Statistics Month (NSM) Media Awards in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

Mourning her passing, her students and colleagues recalled her life’s work as a dedicated pursuit of critical thinking and truth-telling in the context of the Philippine economy. 

Jasper Y. Arcalas, BusinessMirror writer, wrote in a feature on November 18: “Ordinario’s 23-year journalism career was nothing short of illustrious. Multiple national and international award-giving bodies recognized her excellent reportage on statistics, macroeconomy, finance and agriculture. By 2025, she had won more than 20 awards. . .”