CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu on Saturday, September 12, bid a final farewell to National Artist for Literature Resil B. Mojares, as the renowned historian, writer, educator and scholar was laid to rest during a nationally declared day of mourning.
Mojares, who died on September 5 at the age of 83—just a day after his birthday—was honored with a state funeral at Cebu Memorial Parks and Gardens in Cebu City. His interment coincided with the Day of National Mourning declared by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. through Proclamation No. 1434.
Under the proclamation, the Philippine flag was ordered flown at half-mast from sunrise to sunset on September 12 at government buildings and installations across the Philippines and abroad.
The Palace described Mojares’ death as a significant loss to the Filipino people and to the country’s cultural and artistic community, citing his contributions as a teacher, scholar, essayist, fictionist and historian.
A final homecoming for a scholar who made Cebu his life’s work
For decades, Mojares devoted himself to documenting Cebuano history, literature and culture while connecting regional experiences to the broader Filipino story.
Born in Polanco, Zamboanga del Norte, in 1943, he spent much of his professional life in Cebu. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of San Carlos (USC) before completing a doctorate in Literature at the University of the Philippines Diliman.
In 1975, Mojares founded the Cebuano Studies Center at USC and served as its director until 1996. The center became an important institution for preserving and studying Cebuano language, literature, history and culture.
His influence extended well beyond the classroom.
Books such as House of Memory, The War Against the Americans: Resistance and Collaboration in Cebu, 1899–1906, Origins and Rise of the Filipino Novel, Brains of the Nation, Isabelo’s Archive and Waiting for Mariang Makiling became important contributions to Philippine historical and literary scholarship.
Six of his works received the Philippine National Book Award, while the government named him a National Artist for Literature in 2018.
From journalist to martial law detainee
Mojares’ legacy was not confined to books and academic institutions.
Before becoming one of the country’s most respected scholars, he worked as a journalist for The Freeman and wrote about social unrest, student movements, labor issues and political developments in Cebu during the early 1970s.
His journalism eventually brought him into conflict with authorities during martial law.
SunStar Cebu reported that Mojares was among the first martial law detainees in Cebu in 1972. He was arrested at his home on September 23, 1972, and spent about two and a half months detained at Camp Sergio Osmeña in Cebu City.
The experience became part of the history surrounding a scholar who would later spend decades examining how Filipinos remembered their past.
The University of the Philippines Cebu said his early journalism reflected his growing concern with popular struggles, local histories and Philippine society. His later academic work continued that engagement by bringing literature, history and cultural criticism together.
His scholarship helped put local history at the center
One of Mojares’ most enduring contributions was his insistence that Philippine history could not be fully understood without taking regional and local experiences seriously.
The National Historical Commission of the Philippines described him as a pioneer of local studies and highlighted his role in the Cebu Town History Project.
He also chaired an NHCP panel from 2018 to 2021 that examined historical claims surrounding the location of the First Easter Sunday Mass in the Philippines. The panel reaffirmed Limasawa as the site.
His work helped bring Cebuano experiences, sources and voices into larger discussions about Philippine identity.
UP Cebu described his approach as one that encouraged Filipinos to remain rooted in local histories while understanding their connection to the wider nation.
Cebu had already begun mourning
The national farewell followed days of tributes from Cebu and across the country.
The Cebu Provincial Government ordered the Philippine flag at the Cebu Provincial Capitol flown at half-mast following Mojares’ death. Gov. Pamela Baricuatro described him as a distinguished writer, historian, scholar and educator whose work brought pride and honor to Cebu.
Colleagues and fellow historians also remembered Mojares not only for his scholarship but for his humility and warmth.
The University of San Carlos, where he spent decades as a professor and established the Cebuano Studies Center, said his work shaped Philippine letters and touched generations of students, educators and scholars.
His final public lecture came just days before his death. According to SunStar Cebu, Mojares spoke about the history of devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe at a parish in Cebu City on August 29, despite arriving with a cane.
A legacy that will outlive the funeral
Mojares’ death closes the life of one of Cebu’s most influential intellectual figures—but it does not close the conversation he spent decades building.
His work challenged Filipinos to look beyond national narratives and pay attention to the communities, writers, documents and histories that make up the country.
The significance of his contribution, UP Cebu noted, lies not simply in the number of books he wrote but in how he changed the questions scholars were willing to ask about the Philippines.
On the day Cebu laid him to rest, the flags were lowered in mourning.
But the archives he helped build, the students he taught and the histories he brought into the national conversation remain.
Resil Mojares may have laid down his pen—but the work of understanding the Philippines through the stories of its people continues.
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