(UPDATED AS OF SEPT. 28, 1:00 A.M.)
SEVERAL ARTLETS and friends honor former Artlets Student Council (ABSC) president and political science alumnus Reymark Simbulan who passed away last week.
READ: Reymark Simbulan is ready to rise again
Simbulan, who served the student council from 2017 to 2018, died last Sept. 21 after suffering from complications due to COVID-19. He was 24.
In a Facebook post, which garnered more than 1,400 reactions, the Artlet Student Council called Simbulan “Rey of Sunshine,” praising him for always “fighting for what is right.”
“During his term in the ABSC, his dream for AB was larger than life. He believed that ‘Artlets are fighters and catalysts of change’. This movement changed a lot in ourselves and inspired student leaders to carry on that spark for servant leadership,” it said.
The Political Science Forum (TPSF) extended its condolences to Simbulan’s family, calling him an inspiration to others.
“The Political Science Forum would like to extend our deepest condolences to one of our alumni, Mr. Reymark Simbulan. Reymark had a strong heart and a beautiful soul, he was able to inspire others and leave a mark on each and everyone’s hearts,” it said.
He served as the vice president of TPSF during the academic year 2016-2017.
His former colleague in ABSC and friend Clio Ocampo said that during their term in ABSC, Simbulan ensured their administration would be felt by the students. Simbulan was also an advocate for mental health and the rights of persons with disabilities.
“I’d like to say he made sure the Council was felt by the students. All our projects were very on the ground,” Ocampo who also served the council together with Simbulan as the vice president – internal, told The Flame.
Wrexler Bayani, Simbulab’s friend and running mate under the Grand Alliance for Progress (GAP) during the 2017 ABSC polls, said the late ABSC president’s leadership was marked with honesty and objectivity.
“Reymark’s leadership style has a good trademark of radical candor during our time. Pulling each other up while still giving feedback head-on. And he deals with certain situations objectively while hearing everyone’s side of the story,” Bayani told The Flame.
Genuine friend
Ocampo and Bayani shared with The Flame how Simbulan became a friend who stood beside them during their hardest battles.
“He was there for us during days when we would feel lost in life. Despite his many personal challenges, he does his best to understand where people are coming from and make sense of the situation so we could shine in our natural glory,” Bayani said.
“Reymark and I would sometimes message each other in the middle of a breakdown. Anytime of the day, whether we were doing something else or in some other place, we’ll answer. I’ll thank him I guess. I’ll thank him for the times he helped me and for allowing me to help him,” Ocampo said.
Several students also remembered Simbulan’s legacy for the AB community in their respective posts on social media.
“It is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to you anak. You are one of the best and strongest student leaders that we know. I never doubted you since day one. You will always be remembered because you made a big mark to so many people around you,” Renz Joshua Esguerra said in a Facebook post.
“Thank you, Reymark. No words can express how thankful I am that you became a huge part of my college life. I still can’t accept that you are not with us. We will miss you, I hope you are in a better place now,” Hector Dominic Aleman wrote on Facebook in a mix of English and Filipino.
Aside from being a member of one of the AB political parties GAP, he was also part of the Lakas ng Alyansang Yaman ay Aksyon, a political party of the political science program.
After graduating from the University in 2019, he went to Ateneo de Manila University to study Juris doctor.
Simbulan was laid to rest at Sanctuario de Paz Memorial Park in Bulacan last Sept. 25. F – V. N. Yap with reports from M. Jucom
