Former press club president found dead

MANILA, Philippines — Former National Press Club (NPC) president Alfredo Lobo was found dead in his condominium unit in Malate, Manila on Tuesday.

Lobo, 66, was known for being an “amiable person” who earned the moniker “Mr. Last Question” for asking the final question during press briefings at Malacañang when he was a reporter, according to the NPC.

He served as NPC president from 1995 to 1998 “with honor and distinction,” the club added.

Police said they were alerted to the condominium unit of Lobo due to a foul odor reported by a resident.

Lobo’s body was found in the toilet in “advanced stage of decomposition,” according to a police report.

Probers said they are waiting for the results of the autopsy to determine the cause of Lobo’s death.

He started as a reporter for the Manila Bulletin in 1976 and covered Malacañang during the presidencies of Fidel Ramos and Corazon Aquino.

Pulitzer Prize winner Manny Mogato posted on Facebook a tribute to Lobo, whom he described as “quiet, always had a smile on his face and was a friend to all reporters – old and new.”

“Journalists who knew Fred were shocked when news broke that he had died,” Mogato said. “It was a tragic death, not like his poems. Goodbye Fred, may your spirit fly high to the sky like a balloon.”