Obit

 

Rogelio Ordoñez, 75

ACCLAIMED POET, JOURNALIST, AND EDUCATOR Rogelio Ordoñez died Thursday, May 19. He was 75.

Ordoñez was the former Editor-in-chief of the alternative newspaper Pinoy Weekly.  He also previously headed various writers’ organizations such including the Cavite Press Club, Philippine Writers Academy, and Pambansang Unyon ng Manunulat (PANULAT). He also wrote for several publications such as The Philippine Free Press and Liwayway Magazine prior to the declaration of Martial law.  Ordoñez had been battling with a lingering liver ailment.

As a poet and fiction writer, Ordoñez focused mainly on writing for the oppressed, especially about the workers and peasants.  He has received numerous accolades such as the Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas from the Writers’ Union of the Philippines, and was chosen as a “Progressive Caviteño” in the field of Literature by the Province of Cavite. In 2011, he was bestowed with the title “Makata ng Bayan” by the KM64 Poetry Collective (About, PlumaatPapel.wordpress.com)

Ordoñez was also a Professor in the Graduate School of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines where he taught Creative Writing and Literature. During the 30th anniversary of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) in 2012, he was conferred the title “Guro ng Bayan”

Friends, colleagues, and former students flooded Ordoñez Facebook account to pay tribute. In a statement, The PUP Center for Creative Writing said “Marami na siyang bagay na nasaksihan, marami na siyang nasulat. Hindi maramot si Ka Roger. Dahil sa kanya ay mayroon kaming mga alaala ng mga bagay na hindi naman namin naranasan.”

His remains will be cremated Tuesday, May 24, in Parañaque City.

 

Morley Safer, 84

Longtime reporter Morley Safer died Thursday, May 19, of pneumonia. He was 84.

Safer was the longest-serving reporter of CBS news program 60 Minutes which he first joined in the late 1960s. He was best known for his coverage of the Vietnam War. During the six decades of his reporting career, Safer won hundreds of awards, including a dozen Emmys and three Peabody Awards. (Morley Safer, CBS ’60 Minutes’ Reporter, Dies at 84, ABC7Chicago.com, May 19, 2016)

In recent years, Safer had to cut back on work to deal with health issues.

Friends and colleagues mourned the passing of Safer. CBS Chairman Leslie Moonves recognized Safer’s contribution to broadcast journalism. “He broke ground in war reporting and made a name that will forever be synonymous with 60 Minutes,” said Moonves. CBS News President David Rhodes also paid tribute to the late journalist. “Morley Safer helped create the CBS News we know today. No correspondent had more extraordinary range.” (60 Minutes’ Morley Safer dies at 84, CBSNews.com, May 19, 2016)

Safer is survived by his wife and daughter.