Historical timeline and milestones

• Studied BS Statistics
• Association: Center for Nationalist Studies
• Previous roles:
  • Served as Senate staff
  • 1998- 2001: Executive Assistant, Office of the Mayor of Tarlac City
  • 2001 onwards: Senior Support Technical Assistant, Dell International Services Philippines
  • 2006-2020: Head, Technical Production Systems of ABS-CBN News Digital Media

As remembered by family and friends

“My mother told me that in my childhood, whenever I saw a picture of Jesus, I used to cry because I missed my father. I get to spend all my summers and Christmas with him, and all of it were happy memories. We watched television until late at night. My father would cook a midnight snack and we huddled closely while we ate.” — One of Abe’s children

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“When we drove around, he would play his favorite songs and in his very nice voice, he would sing along with Asin, the Beatles, Peter, Paul and Mary, Simon and Garfunkel.” — One of Abe’s children

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“My father is a man who did his duty with passion and drive. I will always remember how he gave me his old laptop with a complete soundtrack of his favorite playlist. He disciplined us by making sure we did not watch TV during school days. He gave us quizzes on world history, American history, and Philippine history. Part of my decision to take up Political Science was my early exposure to these topics, with him as my mentor.” — One of Abe’s children

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“I could never fully describe Papa. We were the biggest coffee drinkers in the family. We both liked working behind the scenes rather than upfront on stage, and we especially liked listening to the same music while driving. He was much better at sports than I was. I don’t think I ever won a single game against him, whether it was badminton or table tennis. 

But perhaps most importantly, even before he died, I always thought of my father when I faced a big challenge. My thoughts would run “What would Papa tell me to do?” It was always like that with us because I knew how intelligent he was, the way he came up with solutions for virtually any problem. I will continue to seek his guidance (and his dad jokes) even when he’s not around. Before he died, he left us with one last piece of advice: Do not be afraid.” — One of Abe’s children

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“Abe was a nurturer. He knew how to take care of his children from infancy until they grew up. He also took care of his parents and siblings especially in their time of need. He constantly supported his children, whatever they chose to pursue. He only made sure his children stuck to their principles as much as he did to his.

He used his talent and skills to serve our country without any reward in mind. At the height of the struggle, he diligently performed his responsibilities as a leader and a member of his groups.

Abe has a long history of complicated and tragic struggles within his family and within the organization that he aligned himself with, but he remained steadfast in upholding his principles, his objective, and scientific worldview.

In changing his career path to the corporate world of the media industry, he remained humble, ready to help and share his profound and sharp analyses. Until his last days, while he was able to talk, one of his requests was to allow him to chat with his close friends, new and old, who he never forgot.

I will always cherish in my memory the funny side of Abe who loved to crack jokes and was always in a happy mood. He loved to watch Star Trek, Star wars, and Marvel movies. He also loved to watch Master Chef, although he preferred to eat rather than cook.

Pagpupugay sa isang kasama, asawa, kaibigan, anak, kapatid, at tatay.” — Abe’s wife

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“Abe and I were not close during our high school days. He was a rock star in Math. But he was a bit aloof, suplado. He did not want attention toward himself.

When we saw each other during our 30th anniversary in high school, he already warmed up. I confided in him when I had problems. I knew his political adeptness, so I always consulted him about my work in this field. During those times, I brought him to eat at Dencio’s. He only usually ordered coffee. His consultation fee was so cheap.

Abe was always present in our karaoke sessions, even though he does not sing. Our karaoke sessions will never be the same without him. We love him so much.” — A high school friend

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“I consider Abe to be our best leader in the Center for Nationalist Studies (CNS) because he encouraged diverse views and was not one to simply parrot what was stated in official memos. He knew how to mentor us in CNS at a time when we had a lot of questions about where we were headed as an organization. With his courage to listen to diverse views, he has been an influence in terms of how I manage organizations. That is what I learned from him. I will never forget that. Thank you, Abe.” — A college friend

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“I always remember Abe as a simple man. Even though he has many accomplishments, I never heard him brag. He just smiled when we tease him. He participated eagerly in intellectual debates but remained very cool and soft-spoken.” — A college friend

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“Abe used to go to our boarding house at Krus na Ligas. We always appointed him as the floor manager. Since he was just a visitor and all the beds are full, he would always sleep on the floor. We ate very simple dishes and we never knew that he came from a family with means, because we never heard him complain about our meager accommodation.” — A college friend

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“I vividly remember all our drinking sessions with Abe. We had so much fun. We were so into each other’s mindset that when we looked at each other and started laughing, we knew what it was all about. We did not have much money then as full-time activists, but somehow we managed to find sponsors to buy our drinks. However, there came a point when all these came to a halt. Our work was expanding and getting very serious, so the drinking sessions eventually stopped because we practically had no time for it anymore.” — A fellow activist

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“Sir Abe was his family’s quiet stronghold and pillar. His wife is an insightful, artistic, and talented workmate and a highly involved and active mother and citizen. Their kids are wonderful. Sir Abe is their enabler in all their endeavors.” — A fellow activist

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“I always called Abe when I encountered a technical problem at work. I am not a techie person, so Abe is my to-go guy. I will always remember him as my Bok!” — A colleague at ABS-CBN

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“You went beyond your best, as you always have, Sir Abe.” — A colleague at ABS-CBN

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“Our prevalent sentiment is that he was a great loss to our team. He was like a shepherd who guided us in many ways. They always say that in an organization, no one is indispensable but this does not apply to Sir Abe. We will surely miss his presence.” — A colleague at ABS-CBN

Media and Additional Reference

• ‘Our hearts are broken’: ABS-CBN News’ ‘digital go-to guy’ passes away. ABS-CBN News.

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