UST Judoka and two-time UAAP Most Valuable Player (MVP) Dither Tablan passed away Friday evening, his family said.
Tablan, 23, was announced dead at 10:15 p.m. following cardiac arrest.
Tablan’s family confirmed the Judoka’s passing using his Facebook account, saying there would be a wake for the late Thomasian. More information will be posted within the day.
Tablan’s friends and former teammates in the national team took to social media to pay tribute.
“Dither, na-miss kita sa lahat ng training. Akala ko magkikita tayo bukas sa training. You are now with God, Dither Tablan. Rest in peace,” Estie Liwanen, his teammate in the Kurash national team, wrote along with a photo of her with Tablan.
The UST Growling Tigers page also paid tribute to the UST athlete: “We mourn the loss of one of UST’s finest athletes, Dither Tablan. He was a two-time UAAP Men’s Judo MVP. Our condolences to the family.”
Primalou Lucido, one of Tablan’s teachers in Claret high school, recalled his time with the Kurash athlete, calling him a “gentle giant.”
“You were so sweet that your size never intimidated anyone,” Lucido said.
Tablan won his MVP plums in UAAP Season 79 (2016) and 81 (2018).
He helped the UST Judokas win four straight titles in the UAAP.
Tablan’s national stints came when he represented the Philippines in the 30th Southeast Asian Games and the World Martial Arts Masterships. Mark Ernest V. Villeza
