The University of the UU直播 condoles with the family of the late Prof. Luz Soriano Sta. Ana, a former Director of UE鈥檚 Department of Physical Education who passed away last Thursday, September 19, 2024, 2024, at age 89.

Born on January 21, 1934, in Pasay City, Director Sta. Ana earned her Bachelor in Secondary Education degree from the UE College of Education in 1957 through an athletic scholarship. She had been a dean鈥檚 lister before focusing on sports, and was a member of the University鈥檚 then gymnastics, volleyball and softball teams. She also played table tennis, badminton and basketball, despite these sports having no women鈥檚 teams at the time.

She took and passed the licensure exam for teachers in 1958, later on earning her Master of Arts in Physical Education at the National College of Physical Education

After graduating from UE, Dir. Sta. Ana taught Physical Education and English at the Naval Reservation Junior College (now Columban College) in Olongapo City. In 1961, fate brought her back to her Alma Mater, where she taught PE at UE Manila.

In 1994, she was promoted to be the UE PE Department鈥檚 Assistant Director. She would hold the position until 1996, when she assumed the Director position upon the passing of former PE Director Benjamin Castillo. She held UE’s PE directorship for 10 years until her retirement in 2007. She had been in service to UE for a total of 45 years.

During her stint as UE PE Director, she became the President of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines in 2006, during the league鈥檚 69th Season, during which, UE was the host. Despite her UAAP presidency, she continued her tasks as PE Director, including the welfare of various UE athletes and faculty members, as well as monitoring UE鈥檚 performance and efficiency in both UAAP and non-UAAP events.

Dir. Sta. Ana was married to the late Dr. Victor Sta. Ana, a UE College of Dentistry alumnus and a member of the UE Baseball Team back in the day. Their four children are all UE graduates.

A wake was held in Dir. Sta. Ana’s honor at the De La Paz Funeral UU直播s in Marikina City until the funeral ceremony in her memory on September 23, 2024.

Requiescat in pace, Dir. Sta. Ana, and thank you so much for your Warrior service, dedication and loyalty…

The University of the UU直播 community, including UE alumni the world over, sincerely condoles with the family of Dr. Howard Que Dee, an exemplary UE graduate who had been the Philippine Ambassador to the Vatican as well as to the Republic of Malta, who passed away last Wednesday, August 21, 2024. He was 94.

Ambassador Dee, who was born in Tondo, Manila, on November 23, 1930, is a UE alumnus twice over. He first pursued the degree of Bachelor of Business Administration back when UE was still the Philippine College of Commerce and Business Administration (PCCBA). After graduating and earning his UE BBA degree in 1951, Mr. Dee went on to pursue the degree of Master of Arts in Economics at the UE Graduate School, and was just a thesis shy of earning what would have been his second UE degree.

Mr. Dee was a man of action, a fact made manifest by his long and fruitful career and which was already evident even as a UE student. In addition to his academic work, he was the Editor of what was initially the PCCBA Business Journal. When the PCCBA was granted university status and became UE in 1950, that business journal became the Dawn, UE鈥檚 legendary student newspaper, and Mr. Dee was its first Editor-in-Chief.

Mr. Dee remained closely knit to his Alma Mater post-graduation. Not long after earning his baccalaureate degree from the University, he became the President of the UE Alumni Association, and was instrumental in the massive fund-raising campaign to produce the University鈥檚 iconic statue, Lualhati.

Mr. Dee went on to become a co-incorporator of United Laboratories Inc. or Unilab. At that renowned pharmaceutical company, Mr. Dee was Vice President and General Manager from 1953 to 1965, and was its President from 1965 to 1972. Amid his immense Unilab work, he found time to become the founder of the Ten Outstanding Young Men or TOYM Awards for the Manila Jaycees in 1958.

In his nearly two full decades at Unilab, not only did Mr. Dee cater to the health needs of all sectors of the nation, he and the company pioneered the concept of corporate social responsibility. In addition, not only was he one of Unilab鈥檚 bigwigs who were UE alumni, he also hired many UE graduates to work in that company.

Social development had since been such an indelible mark of Mr. Dee鈥檚 career. For one thing, in 1972, he became a Founding Trustee of Philippine Business for Social Progress, a social development-oriented group.

In 1975, he founded the Assisi Development Foundation and was its Chairman as of 2018. Inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi, who embraced poverty and espoused simplicity, the Foundation was Mr. Dee鈥檚 way of responding to the needs of the poor through local and foreign contributions, thereby empowering impoverished Filipinos to improve their own lives.

In 1984, he founded yet another social development entity, the Philippine Development Assistance Program, of which he was Chairman up to 1986. He was also the President of the Association of Foundations in 1985.

In 1986, Mr. Dee was appointed Philippine Ambassador to the Holy See, a.k.a. the Vatican鈥攁 highly fitting stint given both his devotion to Christianity as well as his career of compassion. A Marian devotee since 1960, the honorable Howard Dee was even nicknamed 鈥淥ur Lady鈥檚 Ambassador鈥� by the late Pope John Paul II, reportedly due to Amb. Dee鈥檚 consistent discussions with the Pope about the Blessed Virgin Mary. He was the country鈥檚 ambassador to the Vatican and to Malta within 1986 to 1990.

After those overseas stints, Ambassador Dee continued to be instrumental to the government and the country, particularly in terms of the peace process and conflict resolution.

Firstly, he was the Lead Convenor of the 1990 National Peace Commission, which would later segue into being appointed Chair, effective 1993 to 1996, of the Government Panel for Peace Talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines, the New People鈥檚 Army and the National Democratic Front. In 2002, he was appointed Presidential Adviser on Indigenous Peoples鈥� Affairs. In that capacity, which has the rank of Cabinet Secretary, Amb. Dee sought freedom for members of indigenous groups in jail due to cultural misunderstanding, and sought to bridge the divide between conflicting Muslims and Christians. He was, in fact, active in development groups involving our countrymen in the South, such as Tabang Mindanao and Pagtabangan BaSulTa (a.k.a. Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi).

In 2004 up to 2011, Amb. Dee was the Vice Chairman of Pondo ng Pinoy Community Foundation Inc. In 2011, he and the Foundation launched the Hapag-asa Feeding Program in the Archdiocese of Manila. Also in 2004, he cofounded the ASA Philippines Foundation. Established in partnership with the Benigno S. Aquino Foundation, ASA Philippines is a non-profit, non-stock corporation specializing in nationwide microfinance services for the poor, transforming helpless indigents into empowered entrepreneurs.

Amb. Dee had also been the Vice Chairman of the Family Rosary Crusade and President of Bahay Maria Inc. He also found time to author three books about the Christian faith: God鈥檚 Greatest Gift, published in 1981; Mankind鈥檚 Final Destiny, in 1992; and Living the Beatitudes with St. Joseph, in 2004.

Many are the awards that were bestowed upon Ambassador Dee. These include the Pontifical Order of St. Sylvester in 1985; the Pius X Equestrial Order of the Grand Cross, First Class, in 1988; the Gawad Mabini Award from the Philippine government in 1999; the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2003 Dr. Jose Rizal Awards; and the lone 2006 Aurora Aragon Quezon Special Peace Award. On September 25, 2006, during his Alma Mater鈥檚 60th Foundation Anniversary, Ambassador Dee was formally recognized as one of UE鈥檚 60 Most Outstanding Alumni, in formal ceremonies at the UE Theater.

On April 25, 2012, UE conferred upon the then 81-year-old Ambassador Dee the degree of Doctor of Humanities, Honoris Causa, during the University鈥檚 yearend college and graduate-level commencement at the PICC Plenary Hall. He was the 11th individual to have received an honorary UE Doctor of Humanities degree.

On August 31, 2018, Ambassador Dee was formally honored as one of six recipients鈥攁long with honorees hailing from Cambodia, UU直播 Timor, India and Vietnam鈥攐f the Ramon Magsaysay Award, which is considered Asia鈥檚 answer to the Nobel Prize and at the time marked its 60th year. Per the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation, Amb. Dee was recognized for 鈥渃hampioning the human face of peace, justice and economic growth,鈥� and for his 鈥渜uietly heroic half-century of service to the Filipino people, his abiding dedication to the pursuit of social justice and peace in achieving dignity and progress for the poor, and his being, by his deeds, a true servant of his faith and an exemplary citizen of his nation.鈥�

In light of Amb. Dee鈥檚 passing, Novena Masses have been held in his name since August 22 and which will go on nightly, at 7 p.m., up to Friday, August 30, 2024, via Zoom (ID: 869 4796 0736 | passcode: HQD). A Funeral Mass will be held in his name this Sunday, August 25, 2 p.m., at Santuario de San Antonio on McKinley Road in Makati City.

Peacemaker, public servant, corporate social responsibility pioneer, steward of the underprivileged, Christian author, devoted family man, multi-awarded individual, Warrior Alumnus: We in UE are appreciative and proud of Ambassador Howard Q. Dee鈥攐f who he was, all that he has achieved, all the good that he did for others, and the impact of all of his efforts upon countless lives.

Eternal peace be upon thee, Warrior Ambassador, and eternal thanks for making your Alma Mater聽proud!

The UE community sincerely condoles with the family of Ms. Ma. Victoria Besacruz-Boneo, a longtime educator at UE Caloocan, who passed away last August 14 at age 58.

Born on March 18, 1966, she started what would become a nearly 26-year UE stint on November 4, 1998, when she began teaching at the UE College of Arts and Sciences-Caloocan.

At UE CAS Caloocan, she went on to make her mark as a faculty member of the Department of Communication Arts, ultimately serving with the rank of Assistant Professor C/R1 up to her retirement from the College effective May 31, 2016.

This was immediately followed by her transfer to the UE Basic Education Department-Caloocan, as a Senior High School Teacher C-2 effective June 1, 2016. That would be her nearly decade-long stint until retiring recently.

In addition, Ma’am Boneo was among UE Caloocan’s National Service Training Program faculty members, and was a longtime teacher of both NSTP components, namely Literacy Training Service (LTS) and Civic Welfare Training Service (CWTS).

A beloved daughter, sister, and friend whose life was a testament to kindness, compassion, and dedication, Ma鈥檃m Mavic, as she was nicknamed, was a cherished member of UE’s CAS Caloocan, SHS Caloocan and NSTP communities, having touched the lives of many through her dedicated service as an educator, a very sweet and caring friend, effectively leaving a legacy of love and commitment and memories of one with such passion for singing that brought joy to everyone who got to listen.

Ma鈥檃m Boneo鈥檚 life was a blessing, and her memory will continue to be a source of comfort and inspiration to those who knew and loved her.

The memorial service for Ma鈥檃m Boneo has been ongoing since August 14 at the second floor of the Shrine of Our Lady of Grace Parish on 11th Avenue in Grace Park UU直播, Caloocan City.

May you rest in eternal peace, Ma鈥檃m Boneo, and thank you very much for your impactful Warrior service to generations of UE students!

Info by UE BED Caloocan | Photo by Lyric Studio

The UE community condoles with the children and other family members of Prof. Virginia Samson Cari帽o, who passed away last Saturday, July 27, 2024, at age 94.

Prof. Cari帽o, a retired professor of the UP Diliman National Institute of Biology, was the wife of Dr. Isidro D. Cari帽o, who had been the UE College of Business Administration-Manila Dean and then, from 1985 to 1989, Chairman of the Board and President of UE and the UE Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center, Inc., before being appointed Secretary of the then Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS), serving in that capacity from January 1990 to June 1992. Dr. Cari帽o had passed away on December 23, 2000, at age 74.

Prof. Cari帽o, who had been colleagues in UP Diliman with UE Trustee and former UE President and Chief Academic Officer and former Commission on Higher Education Chair Ester A. Garcia, was instrumental in establishing the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), the principal research arm of the government in food and nutrition that is one of the research and development institutes of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

The viewing of Prof. Cari帽o鈥檚 ashes is ongoing at Sta. Rita de Cascia at Philam UU直播s Subdivision in Quezon City. At that venue, there will be a 7 p.m. Mass this Wednesday, July 31, 2024, and a 9 a.m. Mass on Thursday, August 1, before her remains are transferred to Bi帽an, Laguna. A 1 p.m. inurnment Mass at the Diocesan Shrine and Parish of Isidro Labrador de Bi帽an will be held before her inurnment at the family mausoleum at the Roman Catholic Cemetery.

Eternal rest grant unto Prof. Virginia S. Carino, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace. Amen.