As the year comes to an end, the Varsitarian pays tribute to Thomasians who passed away this 2024.
Bishop Emeritus Nereo Odchimar
Tandag Bishop Emeritus Nereo Odchimar, who was the first in his rank to be elected president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), died on Feb. 1 from complications of diabetes and kidney disease. He was 83.
Odchimar, an outspoken prelate on environmental issues, entered the Ecclesiastical Faculties of UST in 1980. He finished bachelor (cum laude), licentiate (magna cum laude) and doctorate (magna cum laude) degrees in Canon Law between 1981 and 1983. After his studies, he taught at the Faculty of Canon Law.
Oscar Pimentel
Thomasian lawyer Oscar Pimentel, a retired regional trial court judge and a former Faculty of Civil Law professor, died on Feb. 6. He was 83.
Pimentel, affectionately known as “Judge P” by his students, handled criminal and remedial law at the Faculty of Civil Law for 34 years until his retirement in 2008. He obtained his bachelor of laws and associate in arts degree at UST.
Alfredo Perez
Alfredo “Al” Santos Perez, a Thomasian master painter and sculptor of heritage churches, died on Feb. 28 following cardiac arrest. He was 76.
Perez graduated from the defunct College of Architecture and Fine Arts (CAFA) in 1968 with a degree in advertising arts. He was a visual artist who made a mark through his paintings and sculptures of Philippine heritage churches like the Barasoain Church in Bulacan, Quiapo Church in Manila, and Miag-ao Church in Iloilo, among many others, using watercolor. 
Michelle Angela Isip
Michelle Angela Isip, a UST College of Education faculty member, died on Feb. 29 in a Las Piñas fire that razed her house. She was 46.
Dr. Modesto Llamas
Dr. Modesto Llamas, a Thomasian surgeon and four-term president of the Philippine Medical Association (PMA), died on March 18. He was 83.
He taught at the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery before retiring in 2008 and was honored as one of its most distinguished alumni ahead of its 150th anniversary in 2021.
Llamas specialized in general and peripheral vascular surgery. He earned his medical degree from the University in 1965.
Dr. Ma. Gia Grace Baquiran-Sison
Dr. Ma. Gia Grace Baquiran-Sison, a Thomasian physician known for her mental health advocacy, passed away on March 21 at age 53.
Better known on social media as “Doc Gia,” she succumbed to pulmonary embolism and heart failure. She was an advocate for cancer awareness, mental health, and public health issues, and served as head of the Women Wellness Center at Makati Medical Center, Philippine leader for the Livestrong Foundation, and national adviser for the Youth for Mental Health Coalition
Sison, who specialized in occupational medicine, obtained her medical degree at the University in 1996.
Morris Agoncillo
Thomasian builder Morris Agoncillo, a construction tycoon whose firm had sponsored the UST Golden Tigresses since 2017, died on May 1. He was 65.
Agoncillo, who graduated from UST High School in 1974, co-founded DATEM, now a leading construction firm in the Philippines, four years after earning his civil engineering degree from the University of the East.
Dennis Malabed
UST Commerce alumnus and former Varsitarian writer Dennis “Jigg” Malabed died on May 2 after suffering a heart attack. He was 52.
Malabed graduated with a degree in economics from the University in 1993 and pursued a degree in literature from 1993 to 1994.
During his time at UST, Malabed contributed to several student publications: he was a features writer for the UST Commerce Journal, a literary editor for The Flame, and a Circle and Filipino writer for the Varsitarian.
Rosario Bitanga-Peralta
Rosario “Charito” Bitanga-Peralta, a graduate of UST’s fine arts program and a trailblazer in Philippine abstract art, passed away at the age of 89 on May 14 due to complications from acute coronary issues.
Edwin Sandoval
Civil law professor Edwin Sandoval, who taught political law review at UST for 26 years, passed away on May 19 at the age of 73.
Josefina Aguilar
Former UST Grade School principal Josefina Aguilar passed away on May 17 after suffering a heart attack. She was 93.
Aguilar obtained her bachelor’s degree in education at UST and served as principal of its elementary school from 1964 to 1985.
She taught religion and Filipino courses at the College of Education from 1962 to 1971.
Aida del Rosario
UST alumna Aida Cruz del Rosario, one of the first licensed female architects in the Philippines, died on May 20 due to pulmonary heart failure. She was 101.
She graduated from the now-defunct UST College of Architecture and Fine Arts in 1947, becoming one of the first female completers of the architecture program at the University. Del Rosario became the ninth licensed female architect in the country after placing seventh in the board examinations for architects.
Msgr. Rudy Villanueva
Msgr. Rodolfo “Rudy” Villanueva, a Thomasian priest who was also a prize-winning literary writer and a celebrated icon in Philippine liturgical music, passed away on May 23. He was 83.
Ruben Alabastro
Ruben Alabastro, a veteran Thomasian journalist and former Varsitarian Cadets editor, died on June 20 after a long battle with dementia. He was 83.
He obtained his journalism degree from the now-defunct UST Faculty of Philosophy and Letters in 1960, later writing for Agence France-Presse, United States-based United Press International, Associated Press, Reuters, and the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Adolfo Bazar Jr.
Former UST Tiger Paddler Adolfo Bazar, Jr., who won the Rookie of the Year award in UAAP Season 73, died on July 2, after suffering a heart attack. He was 30 years old.
Bazar studied marketing at UST and played for the Tiger Paddlers from Seasons 73 to 78. During his time with the team, he helped the Tiger Paddlers capture three championships and two podium finishes.
Jenny Ortuoste
Asst. Prof. Jennifer “Jenny” Rebecca Ortuoste, an award-winning essayist and fictionist and horse racing enthusiast who taught literature and communication courses at UST, succumbed to pancreatic cancer on July 21. She was 56.
Fondly known as “Doc Jen” to her students and colleagues, Ortuoste had battled Stage 3 colon cancer and Stage 1 breast cancer.
A Palanca-award-winning writer and literary columnist at the Manila Standard, she was a resident fellow at the UST Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies and a researcher at the UST Research Center for Culture, Arts, and the Humanities.
Dr. Walter Jalgalado
Dr. Walter Randolph Jalgalado, a Thomasian doctor and educator who served as president of the Central Student Council, died on Aug. 16. He was 52.
Jalgalado obtained his medicine degree from the UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery in 1998.
During his time at UST, he belonged to the founding batch of the Domnet Youth Group, a religious organization established in 1995 and composed of students from various schools run by the Order.
Fort Garcia
UST College of Science alumnus Fortunato “Fort” Florencio Garcia, who served as a support staff of the Faculty of Arts and Letters (Artlets), died on Aug. 25 at the age of 28.
Garcia was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of cancer of the blood.
Teresita Meer
Retired faculty member Teresita “Tess” Meer, who served as president of the UST Graduate School Alumni Association, died on Sept. 1 due to colon cancer. She was 76.
Meer graduated from the College of Education in 1969 with a degree in mathematics teaching. She finished her master’s in development education in 1995 and doctorate in development studies in 2003.
She taught math at the defunct Grade School from 1975 to 1995 before transferring to the Faculty of Pharmacy, where she shifted to Filipino and the social sciences.
Antique Bishop Emeritus Raul Martirez
San Jose de Antique Bishop Emeritus Raul José Martirez, a UST Central Seminary and Faculty of Sacred Theology alumnus, died due to a stroke on Sept. 2. He was 86.
Martirez was apppointed bishop of the Diocese of San Jose de Antique by Pope John Paul II on Jan. 5, 1983, but he resigned in 2002 at 65 due to health concerns.
Fr. Pompeyo de Mesa, O.P.
Fr. Pompeyo de Mesa, O.P., former rector of Colegio de San Juan de Letran Manila and professor at the UST Faculty of Sacred Theology, passed away on Sept. 8.
De Mesa had also served as regent of the Faculty of Pharmacy and the College of Science. He became the 74th rector and president of Letran Manila in 1974, serving in the position until 1980.
Nenita Caralipio
Nenita Caralipio, a retired College of Education faculty member who served as principal of the UST Grade School and Education High School, passed away on Sept. 15. She was 85.
Gilbert Soriano
UST advertising arts alumnus and former Varsitarian art director Gilbert Soriano died on Oct. 1 due to pulmonary complications from smoking. He was 61.
Soriano was also a UST track and field athlete and was among those who competed in the 12th Southeast Asian Games in Singapore in 1983 alongside the likes of Philippine sporting legend Lydia de Vega.
Bienvenido Sibug
Bienvenido “Boi” Sibug, a UST advertising arts alumnus and acclaimed portrait artist based in Los Angeles, passed away on Oct. 13 after battling leukemia and bone marrow cancer. He was 77.
He graduated in 1967 with a degree in advertising arts from the old College of Architecture and Fine Arts.
Fr. Guillermo Tejón, O.P.
Spanish Dominican friar Fr. Guillermo Tejón, O.P., a former parish priest of the Santisimo Rosario Parish who founded the UST Medical Missions Inc., died in the morning of Oct. 25. He was 94.
Tejón earned his doctorate from UST and taught history from 1957 to 1971. In 1961, he founded the UST Medical Missions Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides free social, medical, and surgical services to indigent Filipinos.
From 1969 to 1970, he served as the fifth parish priest of the UST Santisimo Rosario Parish.
Bishop Teodoro Buhain Jr.
Manila Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Teodoro Buhain Jr., a UST Graduate School alumnus, died on Wednesday, Nov. 13. He was 87.
Buhain was ordained a priest in 1960. He obtained his master’s degree in philosophy at the UST Graduate School in 1974.
Milagros Muñoz
Former Artlets dean Milagros V. Muñoz passed away on Nov. 22 at the age of 90.
Before becoming Artlets dean from 1987 to 1990, Muñoz served as the faculty’s assistant dean and UST’s assistant registrar. She taught English and Spanish courses, specializing in translation and linguistics.
Piedad Guinto-Rosales
Former Artlets assistant dean and literature professor Piedad Guinto-Rosales passed away on Dec. 1, due to old age and natural causes. She was 94.
She earned her philosophy degree with summa cum laude honors from the defunct UST Faculty of Philosophy and Letters (Philets), now the Artlets. Rosales began teaching at UST in 1950 and became assistant dean of Artlets and chair of the Department of English from 1988 to 1990.
