National Artist Resil Mojares dies at 83

CEBU, Philippines — National Artist for Literature, renowned Cebuano historian and writer Resil B. Mojares died early Saturday, September 5, a day after celebrating his 83rd birthday, his children announced.

Mojares’ daughter Leigh Go-Mojares announced his passing in a Facebook post as their family grieves the loss of their father.

“We are heartbroken to share the passing of our beloved father, Resil Buagas Mojares. He joined our creator today, in the early morning of September 5th,” the family said.

The family expressed gratitude for having spent his final day honoring and celebrating his life.

“Papa Resil was a pillar of our family,” they said, adding that they found comfort in knowing that he was reunited with his wife, Sally, who died in 2022.

“Together once again, resting peacefully in eternity,” the family said.

The family has yet to announce the cause of death.

In a succeeding post, Go-Mojares said the wake is being held at Cebu Rolling Hills Memorial Chapels, Emmanuel 1, where a Mass was scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday.

Details of the final viewing and interment are said to be announced later.

Mojares was born on September 4, 1943, in Polanco, Zamboanga del Norte, to public school teachers. He spent much of his academic and professional life in Cebu, where he established himself as one of the country’s leading scholars of Philippine history, literature and culture.

He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of San Carlos and obtained his doctorate in Literature from the University of the Philippines Diliman.

He became the founding director of the University of San Carlos Cebuano Studies Center in 1975 and led it until 1996. Under his leadership, the center developed into a major institution for research and documentation on Cebuano history, literature and culture.

Mojares later became a professor emeritus at USC.

His extensive body of work covered Philippine history, literature, politics, nationalism and cultural studies. Among his notable books were The War Against the Americans: Resistance and Collaboration in Cebu, 1899-1906, House of Memory: Essays, Origins and Rise of the Filipino Novel, Brains of the Nation, Isabelo’s Archive, Waiting for Mariang Makiling, and Vicente Sotto: The Maverick Senator.

Six of his works received the Philippine National Book Award, further establishing his stature as a leading Filipino historian and writer.

In 2018, Mojares was conferred the Order of National Artists for Literature, one of the country’s highest recognitions for achievement in the arts and culture.

The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), in a Facebook post on Saturday, described Mojares as a pioneer in Philippine local studies and a “true titan of local history.”

The commission said Mojares was instrumental in advancing local historical scholarship and was among the pioneers of regional studies in the country through his work at the Cebuano Studies Center.

The NHCP also highlighted his participation in the Cebu Town History Project, where he wrote the history of the Province of Cebu.

From 2018 to 2021, Mojares chaired a panel of experts convened by the NHCP to assess claims concerning the site of the First Easter Sunday Mass in the Philippines.

The panel, commonly referred to as the Mojares Panel, submitted a report reaffirming Limasawa as the site of the 1521 Easter Sunday Mass.

The NHCP said it had also worked with Mojares as a resource speaker and author of articles and books published by the commission.

His scholarship played a major role in bringing Cebuano history and regional experiences into broader discussions of Philippine history and national identity.

For generations of students, writers, historians and researchers, his books and essays became important references for understanding Cebu, its people and its place in the larger Filipino story.

Mojares is survived by his children Kim Carmel, Mark Soren, Ressa Gail and Anna Leigh; daughter-in-law Therry; son-in-law James; and five grandchildren, Margaret Alexi, Maxine Therese, Micah Kathryn, Jamie Madeline and Chloe Jeremy.

As Cebu mourns one of its most influential intellectuals, Mojares leaves behind a vast body of scholarship that will continue to shape the study of Cebuano culture, Philippine history and literature. — (FREEMAN)