Doronila inurned in Iloilo hometown

CELEBRATED political journalist-editor Amando Doronila was inurned on Saturday, Feb. 1, in his hometown Dumangas, Iloilo.

He joined his grandparents, parents Arsenio and Marcelina and siblings in the cemetery of the municipality, originally a Malay settlement, a Spanish village, site of one of the worst atrocities during the Japanese occupation in the Philippines and now a bustling port expected to become a city in the near future.

DORONILA FAMILY Amado Doronila’s children, Noonie and Yob, and his 86-year-old brother, Cirilo, are shown here prior to the political-journalist’s inurnment in his hometown in Dumangas in Iloilo on Feb. 1, 2025. PHOTO BY ANNIE MARIE MARTINEZ

A plaque honors his parents and some siblings whose remains were never found after their execution by the Japanese in the mountains of Sara-Ajuy, a brutal message that this would be the fate of civilians siding with guerrilla forces.

The memorial Mass for Doronila, his wife Lulu, younger sister Araceli and two other relatives was celebrated at the Saint Augustine Church (circa 1572), which boasts Romanesque arches and picturesque stained-glass windows.

The reception was held at the convent and featured Ilonggo comfort food as well as a bandurria troupe.

Ever the intrepid journalist, Doronila launched his second memoir, "Beyond the Byline," at 95 in February 2023 in Canberra, a sequel to his first, "Afro-Asia in Upheaval: A Memoir of Frontline Reporting." Five months later, he died of complications from pneumonia.

Throughout his years in political exile and eventual comfortable integration into Australian society, which included a long stint with the highly regarded "The Age," Doronila never thought of switching his Philippine passport for an Australian one. He was a Filipino Ilonggo and stayed that way until the end.