Journalists, NGOs pay tribute to Kathleen Okubo

April 10, 2024 | By Sophia Noelle Bonite

Kim Quitasol, current Editor-In-Chief, and their other media colleagues in Northern Dispatch shared their heartfelt messages for Kathleen Okubo. (The Companion/ Raven Mensenas)

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines - Colleagues from the media and various organizations paid tribute to the life of Kathleen Okubo, a veteran journalist and martial law survivor, at La Paz Funeral Home, Naguilian Road on Tuesday, April 9.

Northern Dispatch (Nordis), a Baguio-based alternative media outlet where Okubo served as editor in chief for almost a decade, announced her death in a statement posted on their Facebook page.

Okubo passed away at the age of 71 on Sunday, April 7.

“As Northern Dispatch grieves with her family, we celebrate her relentless pursuit of truth and unwavering spirit to serve the marginalized,” Nordis said in the statement.

Tongtongan ti Umili - Cordillera Peoples Alliance (TTU-CPA), where Okubo served as a member of its advisory council, expressed its grief over the passing of the martial law veteran.

“We pay tribute to Kathleen’s life who, despite her frailties, continued her advocacy and action for the rights and welfare of the umili of Baguio and the Cordillera, and the wider Filipino nation. Her legacy is that of courageousness and steadfastness to the cause for genuine social justice, press freedom, and a just and lasting peace,” TTU-CPA said in a statement posted on their Facebook page.

Cordillera Women’s Education Action Research Center (CWEARC), where Okudo served as a member of its Board of Trustees, remembered her as a woman who forwarded and served the interests of the women and Indigenous peoples in the Cordillera.

“She exuded an inner strength and a resolve to transcend all difficulties that come her way. She provided insight and guidance in developing the institution’s efforts in support of strengthening the women’s movement in the Cordillera. She helped conceptualize the programs on Rights Capacity Building, Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Research, Human Rights and Psychosocial Support, and the earlier program on support for socio economic work,” CWEARC stated in a post on their Facebook page.

Okubo was a journalist and a press freedom advocate. In 2018, she received the Distinguished Gintong Tala Luminary Award in journalism from the National Correspondents Club of Baguio for her outstanding service in her profession and in the community.