One tragedy after the other. And it comes in a time when the whole world is burning with anxiety and fear… 😞
It is with great sadness and pain to announce that my auntie, Sylvia Santos-Pineda, the direct great-granddaughter of Marcelo H. del Pilar, passed away early this morning at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center. She was 72.
Tita Sylvia was one of the first who responded when news about my wife’s cancer broke out. In fact, she was one of those who contributed the most (I am actually disobeying her now because she didn’t want to be acknowledged about this [Matthew 6:4]; but she had to be, she deserved it). And this at a time when she was in great physical pain (she was suffering from an autoimmune illness). Sending financial aid to my cancer-stricken wife in spite of her health was probably one of her last acts of charity.
She was one of my beacons of hope.
I even imagine that she must have somehow, in deep prayer, offered her life to save my wife’s. She was a very prayerful person, much like her late mother, Lola Bening, her uncle Vicente (Fr. Vicente Marasigan, S.J.), and her auntie Josefina (Mother Mary Aurora). A very esteemed Catholic family in sharp contrast to their Masonic ancestor.
How could I even attend her wake? Metro Manila is in total lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic. And even if there is no lockdown, I wouldn’t be able to visit her because of my weakened lungs; I am highly susceptible to the virus. So harrowing.
Please pray for the eternal repose of her kind soul. She has shown my family great love.
One of her last messages to me.
EL FILIPINISMO 
Thank you for writing about my Mom. She was very proud to be an Apo of Lolo Marcelo.
Thanks for all you do to keep Lolo Marcelo’s memory alive!!!
God Bless You!!!
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And hope that your wife is winning her fight. Continuing to pray for her and your whole family!
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Hello Blums. Your beautiful mother treated us as one of her own. She always has the warmest smile whenever we saw her. Although we seldom saw each other (the last time I saw her was last year in Rockwell, together with Tito Bebot), we kept in touch almost every day through Facebook. If not for the quarantine/lockdown, we would have visited her wake. My wife appreciates your kind words. Hope we all get through this grief.
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