Veteran opinion columnist and author Nelson Navarro, who wrote for Manila Standard and other newspapers after his return from political exile, passed away on Sunday morning. He was 71.
A former student activist who was implicated in the infamous Plaza Miranda bombing in 1971, Navarro succumbed to a stroke at his condominium in Makati, colleagues said. He last wrote for the Philippine Star and also penned a column for Malaya.
Meanwhile, the cremation of the remains of Isagani “Isah” Vasquez Red, the Standard’s longtime entertainment editor who passed away Saturday morning, was moved to Thursday, Sept. 26, his family said.
Born April 10, 1952, Isah, who last wrote for The Daily Tribune, died in his sleep at his home at age 67. His remains will be cremated at The Ascension Crematory also in Quezon City.
On Navarro, fellow columnist and Kamuning Bakery owner Wilson Flores wrote on Facebook that he was rushed to the Makati Medical Center at 8 a.m., but did not make it.
Another opinion writer, Boo Chanco, wrote about Navarro on ABS-CBN.com: “I had this sense of time closing down the curtains on a generation of Filipinos who bore the brunt of martial law.”
“Nelson and I were contemporaries during those troubled times in the late 60s and early 70s. We are often called the First Quarter Storm (FQS) generation, with reference to that turning point in our history when youthful idealism and love of country clashed with a regime marked by greed and corruption,” Chanco added.
Friends and former colleagues also took to social media to express grief at the passing of Navarro, who came back to the Philippines in 1986 after living in exile in the United States, which granted him asylum. He also earned a master’s degree in international affairs at Columbia University there.
“Brod Nelson Navarro, thanks for all your wisdom,” TV host Jules Guiang said of the columnist, who was charged with subversion during a student trip to the United States and decided to continue his studies, wary of the threat of the Marcos regime.
Red, the co-founder and president emeritus of the Society of Philippine Entertainment Editors (Speed), was lauded for his “wit, candor, joy, and love of life,” and his passion for his work inspired fellow mediamen and celebrities alike.
“He died peacefully in his home this morning, without struggle or difficulty,” the group said in a statement on Sunday.
A native of Libon, Albay, Red graduated from the University of the Philippines and also wrote for the Manila Chronicle, The Manila Times, and the People’s Journal.
He retired as the Standard’s entertainment editor in 2018 after 27 years with the paper but was quickly snapped up by the Tribune, underscoring his stature as one of the local showbiz industry’s keenest watchers.