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Tomorrow, Wednesday (May 7), is the 40th day
anniversary of the death of my eldest child, Myra. A mass will be
held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the St. James Parish at Cuenca
Street, Ayala Alabang.
After the mass, there will be a
small dinner gathering of relatives, Myra’s classmates, family
friends and sympathizers at our family home at 213 Concha Cruz
Drive, BF Homes, near the Toyota Alabang, Las Piñas side of BF
Homes Parañaque. Our place is the first house at the first corner
on the right after the BF Alabang guard house.
Myra died in California on March
29 due to aneurysm. The medical cause of death is brainstem
compression resulting from cerebellar hemorrhage. Cerebellum is that
part of the brain located at the lower back side of the skull, just
above the neck. It gives you a sense of balance. Myra was single and
37, at the prime of her youth and half the lifespan of a growing
number of Filipinos.
Myra finished journalism at
Ateneo de Manila in 1992 and MBA, also at Ateneo, in 2002. She went
to De La Salle Zobel High School and Benedictine Abbey Elementary
School. She was the founding chairman of BizNewsAsia, my weekly
business and news magazine. She also spent 14 years in sales and
marketing.
On behalf of the family and Myra,
I would like to thank all those who expressed their condolences and
sympathy, sent texts, letters, flowers, mass cards, and cash
donations (for the Myra V. Lopez Scholarship Fund for journalism and
entrepreneurship) and spent time with us during Myra’s wake at the
Shrine of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Quezon City. Words are not
enough to thank you all.
Let me cite in particular those
who came to the wake, including President Gloria Arroyo, former
President Joseph Estrada, former Prime Minister Cesar Virata,
Senators Chiz Escudero and Loren Legarda, other leaders in
government, business and the professions, including BSP Gov. Amando
Tetangco, Secretaries Angie Reyes, Toting Bunye, Cerge Remonde,
Martin Crisostomo and Edu Jarque, SEC Chair Fe Barin, PEZA Director
General Lilia de Lima, SM Chair Tes Sy, SMC President Ramon Ang;
Donald Dee, Mike Varela and Jun Ortiz Luis of PCCI, GMA Network
Chair and CEO Henry Gozon, PSE President Francis Lim, Mrs. Mercedes
Cojuangco Teodoro, Gina de Venecia, Meralco President Chito
Francisco, St. Luke’s Hospital President Joe Ledesma, PCCG Chair
Camilo Sabio, Ford Group Philippines Henry Co and Lucy, Sen. and
Mrs. Sonny Alvarez, Mike Enriquez, Rey Langit, Obet Pagdanganan,
Justo Ortiz, Roy Golez, Rudy Salalima, Alex Escucha, Raul Goco, PDEA
Chief Diony Santiago and my Greenhills Walking Group; my neighbors
in BF and Pasadena, San Juan; my BCBP group, my colleagues in media
Tony Katigbak, Ichu Villanueva, Dong Puno, Babe Romualdez, Klink
Ang, Maloli Espinosa, Bong Osorio, and Mon Santiago (SMC took care
of the drinks, hotdogs and coffee), and Nelia Gonzalez who took care
of the Mt. Carmel bill; Myra’s elementary, high school, college
and MBA classmates, our relatives and other friends, and I am sure
many others whom I cannot recall right now, including the more than
90 people and companies who sent flowers to Mt. Carmel.
I would like to thank the Manila
Bulletin and The Manila Times for donating ample and prominent
obituary space and the Philippine Daily Inquirer for its obit and
stories, as well as The Daily Tribune and the Journal Group for
their prominent playup of the news of Myra’s passing away. I would
like to thank my friend Mike Enriquez for almost daily updating on
my daughter’s death.
I also would like to thank all
those who donated to the Myra V. Lopez Scholarship Fund—Henry Sy
and SM Group P205,000; President Arroyo P100,000; Andrew Tan of
Megaworld P100,000; President Erap P50,000; Nelia Gonzalez P46,425;
Tony Abacan of Metrobank and Joey Leviste P25,000 each; Secretary
Angelo Reyes, Governor Tetangco and Loren Legarda P20,000 each;
Ambassador Felimon Cuevas P13,000; Ayala, Globe Telecom, Planterbank,
Philamlife, Raul Concepcion and Obet Pagdanganan, P10,000 each;
Justo Ortiz, Lilia de Lima, ABS-CBN, Full Circle, Fe Barin, and
Camilo Sabio, P5,000 each. More donations are coming in.
biznewsasia@gmail.com
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