Touching tributes for DWU’s Filipino staff

 THE Divine Word University (DWU) in Madang lost a long-serving lecturer in Salvador Teodoro “Jun” Pasilabban, Jr, from the Philippines last Tuesday.

Since his passing at the Modilon General Hospital, touching tributes from many of his former students and colleagues flowed into the Madang Campus and posted on social media.

Pasilabban’s former business studies students travelled in from around the country to pay their last respects while others sent condolence messages.

Deputy president of DWU, Professor Pamela Norman, in her tribute at the funeral ceremony yesterday, said late Pasilabban was an exceptional teacher in the business studies department and worked hard for the benefit of his students.

Norman said owing to his dedication to the students and PNG, he served the country since 1985 when he joined the former Divine Word Institute. 

Norman said Pasilabban was committed to his work and taught large numbers but in fulltime and flexible learning programmes.

This year, he was scheduled to take up classes for 400 students across the different programmes.

“He was continuously rated highly in student evaluations at the end of each semester,” said Norman, who is also the vice-president of academic affairs.

Sr Jeanette Matella, who went to the Philippines to recruit teachers for the fledgling DWI back in 1983, said Pasilabban was the only one out of three whom she interviewed and he accepted to come to Madang.

Sr Matella he never went back apart from a brief break for another job for a couple of years in the early 1990s.

Sr Matella, a former head of business studies in both DWI and DWU, said Pasilabban was a dedicated teacher.

DWU Chaplain Fr John Ryan said one of the last things Pasilabban said to the students who visited him bedside in hospital was: “Did you do your assignment?”

Fr Ryan said that exemplified the commitment he had for his students, that “he was a teacher right to the end”.

In an eulogy by another long-serving Filipino staff member of DWU, Annie Manango, Pasilabban’s sister Virgina, who had travelled from the Philippines last Saturday, was overwhelmed by the outpouring of tributes.

 She said she now understood why her brother dedicated his life to serve PNG. 

In respect of his dedicated service to PNG, Pasilabban’s family from the Philippines allowed his body to be buried in Madang. He was laid to rest yesterday (Monday) at the Catholic missionary cemetery at Alexishafen on the North Coast of Madang.