Obit, September-December 2012
Esclamado, 83
PHILIPPINE NEWS founder Alejandro “Alex” Abarico Esclamado died of complications from pneumonia, a lung infection, last Nov. 3. He was 83.
Esclamado was also the editor and publisher of Philippine News, a Filipino-American newspaper established in 1961. The weekly has a national circulation in the United States. Esclamado was a known critic of the Marcos dictatorship and the paper made sure the opposition’s voice was heard during the Martial Law period (1972-1986).
He arrived in the United States in 1959 and lived in California for 42 years. He was an advocate of immigration reform, workers’ rights, and World War II veterans’ issues.
Esclamado was a lawyer and the US chief correspondent for the defunct publication the Manila Chronicle. He retired from the newspaper business in 1997 and became the founder and first national chairperson of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA). The organization promotes “the active participation of Filipino Americans in civic and national affairs.”
He was a recipient of the Philippine Legion of Honor Award and Medal, the highest honor accorded to a civilian in the Philippines, by the late President Corazon Aquino on May 9, 1989; the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, given to outstanding immigrants for their contributions to America, at the centennial celebration of the Statue of Liberty in New York in October 1986; the Lifetime Achievement Award, Greenlining Institute, an association of minority leaders, entrepreneurs, and the disadvantaged in the US, on April 10, 2003; the Lifetime Achievement Award, Philippine American Press Club (PAPC), 2008.
(Source: “In Memoriam: Alex Esclamado – History, Background, and Achievements as of 2004”)
Bautista, 73
FILIPINO VETERAN journalist Augurio Camu Jr., popularly known as Jun “Bote” Bautista, died of complications from a lung disease last Sept. 25. He was 73.
He was diagnosed with emphysema, a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease that causes limited lung airflow making it hard to breathe.
Bautista was a broadcaster, political reporter, and columnist. The Rotary Club of Manila named him Reporter of the Year in 1997.
His stories exposed human rights violations during the Martial Law period. He also told the stories of the opposition, Benigno S. Aquino Jr. and Corazon Aquino, while Ferdinand Marcos was still in power.
But he made his mark at the Senate beat. According to a Philippine Daily Inquirer report, Bautista was the “dean of Senate reporters”.
He was one of the people who established the GMA News and Public Affairs programs. According to GMA Network Inc., he “was known for his professionalism, sharp news sense, and geniality.” Bautista worked with the company from 1974 to 1999, year of his retirement. (“Veteran TV reporter Jun Bautista, 73, ‘lived curious’”)
Before his passing, he wrote the column “Usisero” in Abante Tonite every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Bundoc-Ocampo, 59
BULACAN-BASED community newspaper Punla (Pulso ng Madla) founder Maria “Nene” Bundoc-Ocampo had a heart attack and passed away last Sept. 17. She was 59.
She was editor and publisher of the weekly Punla. She also wrote for Mabuhay, another community newspaper in Bulacan. She was a freelance writer at the time of her death.
Bundoc-Ocampo was the Filipino section editor of the Philippines News Agency from 1978 to 1985. She worked as a correspondent and became a section editor of Ang Pilipino Ngayon from 1986 to 1992.
She was an active member of journalists’ organizations. She was the founder and president emeritus of Pagkakaisa ng mga Mamamahayag sa Bulakan (PAHAYAGAN), treasurer of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP)–Bulacan chapter, and a member of the Philippine Press Institute.
Recognizing Bundoc-Ocampo’s contribution to Bulacan and journalism, the provincial government gave her four Gawad Plaridel awards—named after Marcelo H. del Pilar, who was a journalist and reform movement leader during the Spanish era. The Philippine Agricultural Journalists also gave her three Binhi Awards.
(Source: “Paalam, Ka Nene”)
Acosta, 45
FILIPINO PRINT journalist Ceferino “Nonoy” M. Acosta III died of a heart attack last Dec. 2. He was 45.
Before his passing, he was the section editor for the Opinion, Marketing, CEO views, and Global Eye pages of the BusinessMirror.
Acosta worked for a number of dailies. He was a reporter for Malaya, a sub-editor for the Manila Standard Today, a section editor of the Daily Globe, the news editor for the Business Matters, and managing editor for the defunct Philippine Chronicle. (Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer)
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