Lord, thank you for Sir Dodong Gullas!

May you now rest in God’s eternal love and peace, our dear Sir Dodong.

And may God comfort your family with his embrace during this difficult period.

Already, we are missing you so much.

Aside from anniversaries and Christmas celebrations, we will always remember your warm, welcoming smile whenever you gathered The FREEMAN columnists and editors in your office. I particularly loved hearing your narrative about how you tried to restore TF during martial law, how TF stood up to the dictator!

Blessed by God with fulfilling, grace-filled 87 years, with your family especially and with all others, did God surprise you with his tender gift he sent your way on your final day here on earth?

Did you even imagine that you would be lovingly called back by God to return to him on February 25, 2021, the 35th year of EDSA People Power?

What a grand, warm welcome God must have prepared for you, a freedom lover and a freedom fighter! Heaven, for sure, rejoiced upon your return to God and his eternal home!

Heaven’s gain is our loss. However, our comfort and consolation is you are back in the best embrace of God who loves you best!

We are forever grateful that with you as our chairman, TF walked its talk --safeguarding, respecting, protecting freedom of expression through the years. Gratefully, since I started to write for TF in 1998, never has my work been censored, ever. With you as our chairman, thank you for allowing your TF family to freely share our views with readers through the years.

With the rest of those TF, please kindly join us ask God up above to continue to guide us to do his will, to uphold freedom, and, to serve his people through our work --just as you served God and his people during your lifetime here on earth.

The working students you helped, the teachers who received their salary on time, all others you have assisted throughout your life, at the University of the Visayas, at TF, elsewhere --their testimonies/tribute will surely be too numerous for just one book volume!

And all those you have supported and gathered to form the globally-acclaimed Jose R. Gullas (JRG) Visayas Chorale led by Anna Tabita Abeleda-Piquero --their harmonious voices will continue to remind all about you and your great love and support for music! Oh, how they will miss the look of joy and pride in your eyes every time the chorale performed before various audiences, locally and globally!

For sure, their voices will blend with God’s angels in heaven where you are now, treated to endless beautiful singing and music forever!

Enjoy your well-deserved reward up there, Sir Dodong, back in the best embrace of God and his eternal love and peace.

In my heart and mind, I will always remember this precious moment.

You had just come from a meeting that you called where you gathered and personally greeted each of us, your TF columnists, in UV. You, your family, and others were on the way to the elevator when suddenly, you felt faint and turned pale.

What sticks in my mind is jumping to be near you, reaching out for your left hand, then your right, anxiously trying to remember how my husband would do reflex massage to revive the faint!

Thank God, color started to reappear in your lips and face, then you were strong enough again to walk! Then, that warm smile from you reassured us all that you were okay!

Thank you, Sir Dodong. We miss you already but we know you will always be with us all, TF, your family.