National Artist for Literature F Sionil Jose died at the age of 97.
On Thursday evening, National Artist for Literature F Sionil Jose died peacefully in his sleep at the Makati Medical Center. He was 97.
According to a Facebook post from the Philippine Center of International PEN (Poets, Playwrights, Essayists, Novelists), Jose was declared dead at 9:30 pm Thursday at the Makati Medical Center, where Jose was confined ahead of angioplasty on January 7, 2022.
Just hours before his death, he took to his own Facebook page to share what would become his final words.
“Thank you brave heart. There are times when as an agnostic I doubt the presence of an almighty and loving God. But dear brave heart you are here to disprove this illusion, to do away with the conclusion that if you doubt Him, you kill Him. I cannot kill you dear heart; you have to do that yourself,” Jose wrote.
Jose was survived by his wife Teresita Jose, with whom he had 7 children Alejo, Antonio, Brigida, Epharam, Eugene, Evelina, and Irwin.
According to a report on Manila Bulletin, Jose was supposed to have undergone angioplasty on December 28 but, on his doctors’ advice, the procedure was delayed for fear that he might not survive it. The operation was rescheduled on January 7, just a few hours away from his passing.
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The Ilocano writer was named National Artist for Literature in 2001. Prior to this, Jose had already won a number of prestigious distinctions, including the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communication Arts in 1980 and the CCP Centennial Honors for the Arts in 1999.
In his later years, Jose maintained a column at The Philippine Star, wherein he wrote sometimes inflammatory critiques on Filipino society, culture, and politics.
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