History professor, TNT columnist passes away
FuntechaThe News Today regular columnist and history professor Henry F. Funtecha, Ph.D. passed away shortly after midnight yesterday at the Iloilo Mission Hospital after he suffered from stroke. He was 62 years old.
Funtecha was a full-professor of History at the College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines in the Visayas (UPV), Miagao, Iloilo. He has served UPV in various capacities as Chairperson of the Division of Social Sciences, Director of the Center for West Visayan Studies, Chairperson UPV Centennial Program, Coordinator of the College of Arts and Sciences Research and Extension Program, and coordinator of the Visayan Studies Program.
His dedication to his profession has earned him various awards. He was chosen as UPV’s Most Outstanding Faculty for the period 1991-1996, became a semi-finalist in Metro Bank Foundation’s search for the Ten Outstanding Teachers of the Philippines in 1997 and was awarded by the College of Arts & Sciences of Central Philippine University, Iloilo City as one of its outstanding alumni in 2005.
Dr. Funtecha specializes on studies on local history and culture. He received a grant on local history in the Philippines from the Asia Foundation, Inc. in 1973. In 1988, he was a British Council fellow on Local Studies in Great Britain. In 2004, he went to Japan on an exchange program as a special scientist.
He is a prolific researcher and writer, having published ten books and about four dozen articles in journals, almanacs, and conference proceedings on various topics on the history and culture of Western Visayas.
Dr. Funtecha has been a regular columnist of The News Today since 2001 under the column title “Bridging the Gap”. He also wrote the cover story of the Iloilo Yearbook 2007 published by The News Today entitled “Calle Real.”
Dr. Funtecha is survived by his wife Prof. Nelly Funtecha and three sons Lloyd, Henel and Aga.
The family has yet to announce the schedule of the wake as well as his interment. (Profile of Dr. Funtecha taken from Iloilo Yearbook 2007)