Remembering the Legacy of Dr. Henry Florida Funtecha (1947-2009) by: James U. Sy Jr., Faculty Member, TUPV

Updated Version 2.0 of the original piece “A Memorial to Dr. Henry F. Funtecha (1947-2009)” published in the Visayan Filipino Martial Arts, October 22, 2009 PHOTO: Berks Joseph Tan FB 17 Mar. 2025 Today, March 17, 2025, let us reminisce and celebrate the illustrious life and legacy of the prominent and distinguished historian, educator, and author writer Dr. Henry Florida Funtecha (1947-2009) of Iloilo City. He devoted his life to the study and the preservation of Western Visayan history and culture. He not only contributed so much to the social sciences but inspired a new generation of researches and histories to take up the cudgel when he is gone. Today would have been Dr. Funtecha’s 78th birthday. Henry Florida Funtecha was born Felimon Funtecha and Bernardita Florida, both of Dumalag, Province of Capiz, Philippines on March 17, 1947. He was the couple’s fourth child. His siblings, in descending order, are Gilbert, Felix, Aida Ampatin, and Edwin. Funtecha has shown his potential early on, graduating valedictorian at the Duran Elementary School in Dumalag. He then went to the Central Philippine University (CPU) for his secondary and college education, eventually earning a Bachelor in Science in Arts and Sciences with a Major in History. He was awarded his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) by the University of San Agustin (USA). Dr. Funtecha was an educator for three Higher Education Institutions during his lifetime. His first teaching stint was at Dansalan College Foundation Inc. (DCFI) (launched as Dansalan Junior College in 1950) in the Islamic city of Marawi (formerly Dansalan) in Mindanao in 1967-1968. He next taught at his alma mater, Central Philippine University (CPU). Funtecha cemented his legacy at the University of the Philippines in the Visayas (UP-V), where he served for 33 years. Dr. Funtecha served in various capacities at UP-V. He was a full professor of History at the College of Arts and Sciences, Miagao Campus, Chairperson of the Division of Social Sciences, and Coordinator of the Research and Extension Program of the college. He served as Director of the Center for West Visayan Studies, the unit of UP-V mandated to preserve and propagate the historical and cultural legacies of Region 6 (Western Visayas), from 1988 to 1996. Furthermore, he was Chairperson of the UPV Centennial Program and Coordinator of the Visayan Studies Program. Dr. Funtecha was well appreciated and recognized for his significant institution. He was hailed as UPV’s Most Outstanding Faculty for the period 1991-1996 and was named as one of the outstanding alumni of the university by CPU’s College of Arts & Sciences for 2005. He was a semi-finalist in Metro Bank Foundation’s Ten Outstanding Teachers of the Philippines in 1997. Dr. Funtecha’s search for excellence knew no boundaries. As a specialist of local history, he was awarded a grant on local history in the Philippines from the Asia Foundation, Inc. in 1973. He was a British Council fellow on Local Studies in Great Britain in 1988. He went to Japan on an exchange program as a special scientist in 2004. As a devoted and prolific researcher, historian and writer, Dr. Funtecha authored and published ten books and wrote about 48 scholarly articles in journals, almanacs, and conferences. As a regular columnist of The News Today (TNT) since 2001, under his column “Bridging the Gap,” which dealt with a wide spectrum of topics with historical and cultural significance to the West Visayans. “Bridging the Gap” made history more accessible to the public. He authored the cover story of the 2007 TNT Iloilo Yearbook “Calle Real.” Today, 16 years after Dr. Funtecha left this world his body of work still continue to be essential and indispensable references materials for the next generation of students and researchers. Among his authoritative published books were The American Military Occupation of the Lake Lanao Region, 1901-1913 (1979), Historical Landmarks and Monuments of Iloilo (1999) with Prof. Melanie Padilla, Iloilo in the 20th Century: An Economic History (1997), Popular Festivals in West Visayas (1995), The UP-V Centennial Committee publication The Struggle Against the Spaniards and the Americans in West Visayas (1998) as Co-Editor with Prof. Padilla, and A Study Guide in Philippine History (1999) with Prof. Padilla. Among his numerous journal article were “A Preliminary Study of ‘Bisaya’ - ‘Moro’ Contacts during the Early Spanish Period: Focus on Iloilo,” “The Ilongo ‘Revolucionarios’ and the Second Phase of the Philippine Revolution” (1982), “The Urbanization of the Town of Iloilo. 1865-1900.” “The ‘Iloilo Fiasco’” (1986), “The History and Culture of Boats and Boat-Building in the Western Visayas” (2000), and “The Iloilo River: Development History in a Changing Landscape, 1855-1937” (2003). The works of Dr. Funtecha, along with that of another distinguished and prominent Faculty Member of the Division of Social Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences (DSS-CAS), UP Visayas Dr. Alice Magos, were donated to the UPV Center for West Visayan Studies (UPV-CWVS) of CAS in a simple ceremony on December 6, 2013 at the CWVS Library in the main building, Iloilo City Campus with an aim to contribute in the preservation and promotion of the cultural legacy of the Western Visayas region. Dr. Funtecha, aside from being a extraordinary scholar, was a loving husband, a caring father, and a good friend to his peers and the people around him. He married Prof. Nelly Sulay of Oroquieta City, Misamis Occidental in 1973 and they were blessed with three children, now all professionals themselves - Ree Lee Lloyd, Hennel Rhee, and Henry Agafel. Aida Funtecha-Ampatin, Dr. Funtecha’s sister, described him as a loving brother, husband, and father, a good provider, and staunch supporterof his children. He is a lover of poetry and had himself written several pieces which he had compiled. Maria Milagros Geremia-Lachica, formerly University Research Associate at the UP-V Center for West Visayan Studies, described Dr. Funtecha as a very supportive boss, very approachable and always ready to give a helping hand. The writer of this piece, James U. Sy Jr., himself an educator (presently at the Technological University of the Philippines Visayas - TUPV), sought out Dr. Funtecha at UP-V for some advice about the book he was writing on the historical roots of the Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) of Arnis/Eskrima in Negros Occidental. The very first thing that Dr. Funtecha asked was Sy’s conclusion of his research. They talked about the 10 Bornean Datus as well as other historical figures of Western Visayas. Prior to that Sy had already read some of Dr. Funtecha’s writings. He inspired Sy to write more scholastic pieces. Dr. Funtecha agreed to write the foreword for Sy’s book but never materialized due to his untimely passing. Dr. Funtecha suffered a stroke and fell into a coma on October 11, 2009 in his home. Shortly after he passed away on October 15, 2009, 12:30 A.M., at the Iloilo Mission Hospital, Mission Road, Jaro, Iloilo City. He was 62. His body was laid at the Chapel of the Celin Ancheta and Pagsuberon Hall at the Central Philippine University (CPU) before he was buried on October 22, 2009 at Green Garden Memorial, Tagbak, Jaro, Iloilo City. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Thank you to the Funtecha Family for providing me with most of the personal information about Dr. Funtecha and to Mr. Eliod Dimzon of UP-V for providing the pictures for the original post at Visayan Filipino Martial Arts (VFMA) blog. Information herewith were also based on the Iloilo Yearbook 2007.