UST Department of Communication and Media Studies Asst. Prof. Jennifer Rebecca “Jenny” Ortuoste passed away on Sunday, July 21, her family said.
She was 56.
Ortuoste died of pancreatic cancer, her daughter Alex Alcasid announced in a Facebook post.
“Doc Jen had been bravely battling pancreatic cancer for a few months now, but passed in her sleep early this morning,” the post read.
Ortuoste taught undergraduate general education, creative writing and communication subjects at UST for five years. She also handled communication, journalism, creative writing and marketing communication courses at the graduate level.
Ortuoste served as an associate fellow and researcher at the UST Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies and UST Research Center for Culture, Arts and the Humanities, respectively.
Some Thomasians recount their fondest memories of the late professor.
UST Communication alumna Felicia Fran Aldana described the professor as someone passionate about teaching due to her ”maternal love” for her students.
“Doc Jen was the type of professor, or person in general, who could light up everyone’s mood because of her being jolly and her stories… She helped students like me appreciate learning, there was never a boring class with her,” Aldana told The Flame.
“She was like a second mom to me and maybe to most of her students here in UST. [I] will definitely miss her. I hope her daughters know that their mom was great and how much she talks about them to her classes with us. I hope they know how much she loves them,” she added.
UST Communication alumna Vea Jane Estrada said Ortuoste contributed to her success by guiding and believing in her since she was her student, advisee and eventually co-faculty member.
“One day in class she challenged me to write a thesis about my ‘mermaiding’ community. That definitive moment opened my eyes to be inquisitive about the world, to represent and write about communities and subcultures that remain uncharted in the academe,” she said.
Aside from being a mentor, Estrada said Ortuoste was a dependable friend who always motivated her through words of encouragement.
“She was a professor who cares about me, a true friend who journeys with me when the going gets tough,” she said.
“One time, she hugged me and said, ‘It’s going to be okay.’ Her passing is something I am not ready for, but I hear her say to me once more now, ‘Vea, it’s going to be okay.”
The late professor graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Communication major in Journalism at the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD). She earned her master’s degree in Business Administration at the Ateneo de Manila University in 2007 and doctorate in Philosophy in Communication at UPD 2016.
She worked for Manila Standard as an opinion, literary and sports columnist for nearly two decades. From 2019 to 2020, she was online editor of Manila Bulletin.
During her time in Manila Standard, Ortuoste wrote notable pieces, including “Pop Goes the World,” “No Shelf Control” and “The Hoarse Whisperer.”
Ortuoste also served as editor-in-chief for online of state-run People’s Television Network, Inc. in 2021.
She was a member of various media organizations, namely Philippine Sportswriters Association, Manila Critics Circle, Philippine Association of Communication Educators, Philippine Association of Communication and Media Research Inc., Philippine Center of International PEN, Philippines Communication Society and Unyon ng Mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas.
An award-winning literary writer, Ortuoste won second and third places at the Nick Joaquin Literary Awards for four consecutive years.
In 2011, she was a first-place finisher at the Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Literature for her essay titled “The Turn for Home: Memories of Santa Ana Park.” F — Rachelle Anne Mirasol
