Push Admin

UST's public affairs director passes away

Article (news)

Jaehwa Bernardo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/news/12/06/20201206-ust-fontanilla.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption>Giovanna Fontanilla, the director of the University of Santo Tomas’ public affairs office, has passed away. <em>Photo from UST website</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA <strong>(UPDATE)</strong> – The long-time director of the University of Santo Tomas’ public affairs office has passed away, the school said Sunday.</p><p>On its official social media pages, the 409-year-old Catholic university announced the passing of its public affairs director, associate professor Giovanna Fontanilla. It did not state the cause of her death.</p><p>Fontanilla served UST for 41 years, teaching English courses at the College of Education and leading the school’s public relations office for decades.</p><p>“For three decades, Dr. Fontanilla was the face and voice of UST to the general public and was one of UST&#x27;s best ambassadors,” the university wrote in a Facebook post.</p><div><script src="https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;version=v2.5" async="" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/UST1611official/posts/3980100795335008?__cft__[0]=AZW3TB1iOmFw4oZcYHijxumRyRyqQl37PlfmFOsOPVh_OzDIUxRa-ByWQt1hv5gKbfnnCSLHzJq1n7uk2O6RPooN7MrVJy2lIdWp0ADsh9UkH6liaBEByGpQm6Oa8IddiK9Dd-GGBkk9NbtCwr21B_Qr&amp;__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R" data-width="auto"> </div><p>“We join her family in these trying times and express our unending gratitude to her for her selfless service to the Thomasian family,” it added.</p><p>Fontanilla finished her education degree, magna cum laude, and earned her doctor of philosophy, major in English language studies, from UST, according to a <a href="http://www.ust.edu.ph/fontanilla-of-public-affairs-english-featured-in-womens-journal/">feature</a> published on the university’s website.</p><p>Fontanilla’s Master’s degree in education technology also helped “pave the way” for the establishment of UST’s Education Technology Center, a training facility on ICT teacher professional development, in the 1990s, according to the feature.</p><p>Ging Reyes, Head of ABS-CBN News, said Fontanilla is a &quot;longtime partner&quot; of the media network &quot;in promoting news media literacy and citizen journalism.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Her positive energy and compassionate leadership were an inspiration. She strongly believed in providing relevant tools and worthy role models in the training and education of future journalists and media practitioners,&quot; Reyes said in a statement.</p><p>&quot;Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Prof. Giovanna Fontanilla... We will miss her very much.&quot;</p><div><em><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com">news.abs-cbn.com</a> is the official news website of ABS-CBN Corp.</em></div>

<p>MANILA (UPDATE) – The long-time director of the University of Santo Tomas’ public affairs office has passed away, the school said Sunday.</p>

MANILA (UPDATE) – The long-time director of the University of Santo Tomas’ public affairs office has passed away, the school said Sunday.

UST's public affairs director passes away

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

News

UST's public affairs director passes away

Jaehwa Bernardo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Dec 06, 2020 03:05 PM PHT

|

Updated Dec 06, 2020 04:13 PM PHT

Read More:

obituary

University of Santo Tomas

UST

Giovanna Fontanilla

The Varsitarian

UST Office of Public Affairs

Philippine universities

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.