DESPITE going their separate ways in college, high school friends of the late BS Physical Therapy senior Junver Toledo still had vivid recollections of the “warm,” “humorous,” and “kind” UST student.
Toledo, a 22-year-old student from the UST College of Rehabilitation Sciences, took his life on May 17. The news about his passing broke after his father, Oliver, posted a note he had left behind.
In an interview with the Varsitarian after a requiem Mass for Toledo at the UST Santisimo Rosario Parish Church, Nico Rosales, a high school classmate from Philippine Science High School in Cagayan Valley, said Toledo’s death was “difficult to accept.”
Rosales said Toledo was “chill and unserious,” which made his death more “surprising.”
Toledo studied at the state-run high school from Grades 7 to 12, which was a short distance from his hometown in Nueva Vizcaya. He pursued the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics strand in senior high school.
In 2020, he entered UST to take up BS Physical Therapy. He was initially set to graduate in June 2024 but experienced a setback after he failed one of his subjects, according to his relatives.
According to a note he had left, he failed the same subject again before his death, missing the passing mark by just 1.5%.
Mozart Abubakar, another classmate from Philippine Science High School, said Toledo was proficient in mathematics and science subjects, often helping others during college entrance exam reviews.
“When you hang out with him, there’s no drama at all. You can just be genuine with him, and I think that really stems from the inherent kindness in him,” Abubakar told the Varsitarian on May 26 after Mass at UST.
“He’s a very attentive person, so when you speak to him, you can just vent to him for hours,” he added. “He was a great energy to be around.”
Geo Daquioag, who now studies at Ateneo de Manila University, said Toledo was one of his first friends in Philippine Science High School and made “those early days so much easier” with his warmth and humor.
“Junver has this effortless way of making everything feel lighter. His humor, warmth, and presence never fail to lift my spirits. No matter what kind of day I’m having, he always finds a way to make me smile, which is something I’ll surely miss,” Daguiaog told the Varsitarian.
Toledo was laid to rest at Heritage Memorial Park in Solano, Nueva Vizcaya on May 26.
Though mourning his loss, Daguioag said Toledo left behind memories that also bring comfort.
“As I was reminiscing about our moments together — even through the sadness of his loss — I couldn’t help but smile and feel genuinely happy because those are the kinds of moments we shared. Moments full of laughter and comfort.” Marco Luis D. Beech with reports from Amanda Luella A. Rivera
