Veteran journalist and former Manila Standard columnist Luis Teodoro has passed away, the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication—where he was dean for six years—said Tuesday. He was 81.
UP CMC Professor Danilo Arao confirmed this in a tweet, saying Teodoro passed away at midnight Monday due to a heart attack.
“He was a mentor and a friend. More than that, his stewardship helped produce highly ethical, dedicated journalists,” he said.
Besides producing opinion pieces for the Standard in the early 2000s, Teodoro also wrote political commentary for the business daily BusinessWorld before his passing.
“Maraming salamat sa iyong paglingkod sa bayan. Mahal ka namin (Thank you for your service to the country. We love you). We join our friends and colleagues in communication and media in mourning the passing of Professor Luis V. Teodoro, our Dean from 1994 to 2000,” the UP college said.
“As educator, editor, and journalist, Dean Teodoro was pivotal in fostering academic excellence in our discipline, upholding integrity in the practice of media, and defending our freedoms of the press, speech, and assembly,” it added.
The UP CMC will hold a wake service for Teodoro at Plaridel Hall.
UP President Angelo A. Jimenez hailed “Deal Luis” as a “passionate advocate for press freedom.”
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of former UP College of Mass Communication Dean Luis Teodoro, who was an esteemed human rights activist, newspaper columnist, professor of journalism, and the author of short stories like ‘Paper Stars’ and ‘The Trial of Professor Riesgo,’” Jimenez said in a statement.
“He was a passionate advocate for press freedom and a tireless defender of the rights of the marginalized. His dedication to his work and his commitment to justice will be remembered and celebrated. His legacy will live on through his students, colleagues, and the many lives he touched,” he added.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines described Teodoro as “the staunchest advocate for the best in the profession and the most savage critic of its worst practices.”
“The current and the future generations of journalists have been gifted by Dean Teodoro’s lessons on journalism. We pledge to continue his legacy of wielding the pen in the service of the people,” the NUJP said.
Born August 24, 1941, Teodoro was a journalism professor at UP’s Diliman campus, where he was dean for two successive terms.
He was a deputy director of the media watchdog Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility and a member of its board of trustees.
According to an article in the UP Press, he was vice-chair of the Commission on Higher Education’s Technical Panel on Communication and the Social Sciences. Prior to that, he also chaired CHED’s Technical Committee on Journalism Education.
Teodoro has written and edited books on the mass media such as “Vantage Point: The Sixth Estate and Other Discoveries”.
He was also a fictionist. His collection of short stories, The Undiscovered Country, which includes award-winning works, was published by the UP Press in 2006.
Altermidya, a network of independent and progressive media outfits, called its founding chairperson a pillar of Philippine journalism.
“He is credited with advancing the ideals of pro-people journalism both as a respected member of the academe and through the alternative media that he helped organize in the Philippines,” the group said in a statement.
Altermidya said such journalistic tenets were outlined in books written by Teodoro, including “Divide By Two” and “In Medias Res: Essays on the Philippine Press and Media”.
According to the Center for Media Freedom & Responsibility (CMFR), Teodoro is recognized for being “a journalist, editor, and journalism educator whose incisive critiques of Philippine media have inspired generations of media practitioners and scholars.”
“He shall be missed. Condolences to all of us who believe,” said Arao.