THE editorial and administrative team of The Sunday PUNCH traveled from Dagupan City to Forbes Park, Makati,78 on July 30 to pay a moving final tribute to their beloved publisher and editor-in-chief, Mr. Ermin Garcia Jr., during the wake held at the Santuario de San Antonio Multi-Purpose Chapels.

A pillar of Philippine community journalism and a fearless advocate for truth, Mr. Garcia passed away on July 23 at the age of 77. His passing came just as The Sunday Punch was marking its 69th anniversary, casting a pall of grief over what would have been a moment of celebration for the paper he had shepherded for more than five decades.

As a gesture of honor and recognition, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Pangasinan passed a resolution on July 28, expressing the province’s “profound sympathy and condolences” to the family of Mr. Garcia. A copy of the resolution was formally handed to his widow, Patricia Recto Garcia, during the wake.

The resolution, authored by Fourth District Board Member Jerry Agerico Rosario titled “Expressing the Province of Pangasinan’s Profound Sympathy and Condolences on the Passing of Mr. Ermin Garcia Jr., Distinguished Journalist, Civic Leader, and Publisher of The Sunday Punch,” honored Garcia’s life of service, fearless journalism, and unwavering public advocacy.

“His passing is a great loss not only to the media and civic communities but also to the people of Pangasinan who benefitted from his advocacy and public service,” the resolution read.

It highlighted Mr. Garcia’s career-long commitment to independent journalism, beginning when he assumed leadership of The Sunday PUNCH after the assassination of his father, Ermin E. Garcia Sr., the paper’s founder.

It noted his influential roles as publisher-columnist for the national daily The Manila Times, executive director of the Philippine Press Institute, and secretary-general of the Asia-Pacific Press Institute.

He was also a recipient of the ASNA Award in 2012 as an Outstanding Pangasinense, underscoring his influence not only in Pangasinan but across the Philippine media landscape.

Following the resolution’s presentation, The Sunday PUNCH team delivered a heartfelt tribute to their publisher. They described him not only as a courageous journalist but also as a mentor, protector, and guiding force behind the paper’s relentless pursuit of the truth.

His wife, Patricia, and sister, Charisse Garcia Chuidian, expressed their deep appreciation to the staff who made the long land trip to honor the man they had worked with for decades.

“The Sunday Punch wasn’t just his work — it was his life, his passion, and his greatest legacy,” Patricia shared.

“Thank you for loving him the way you did. Pangasinan truly revered him,” added Charisse.

Leonardo Micua, managing editor of The Sunday PUNCH, delivered a deeply felt editorial that remembered Mr. Garcia as a pillar of press freedom and a relentless voice for accountability.

“He left us with a feeling of emptiness, a vacuum hard to fill in the heart of The PUNCH he loved so dearly,” Micua said.

Micua recalled how Garcia’s Punchline column was widely awaited each week for its incisive commentary, and how he commuted weekly between Manila and Dagupan to personally oversee each issue’s release.

“Tough and uncompromising like his father, he carried the torch of The Sunday PUNCH guided by the motto, ‘No man is to be more reverenced than the truth’,” Micua said.

Peewee Garcia, first cousin of Ermin, read during the tribute letters and messages from those who worked closely with Mr. Garcia or knew him as a journalist. Among them was Shirley Cera, a former employee of the San Fabian Beach Resort owned by Mr. Garcia, who remembered his encouragement as the inspiration for her successful catering business.

“Super bait na, gwapo pa, tisoy pa si Sir Ermin,” she said with fondness. “You touched so many lives, like you did to us, your former employees,” she added.

Another was written by Atty. Aurora Valle, the city legal officer of Dagupan, admitted that Mr. Garcia’s biting critiques once hurt her professionally, but eventually sparked a friendship rooted in mutual respect.

“Yes, his words made me cry. But what he didn’t know was that he was my idol,” Valle wrote. “Thank you for the punches that woke many of us up,” she added.

Cora Bañez, a longtime employee at Garcia’s travel agency, Citi World Travelmart Corporation, called him a leader who led with both “wisdom and heart.”

“He never made us feel beneath him,” she said. “He was my boss, my mentor, my godfather, and above all, my friend,” she added.

From his colleagues and former staff to public officials and provincial leaders, all spoke of a man whose commitment to truth, justice, and public service shaped not just a newspaper — but a generation of journalists and community servants. (Eva Visperas)

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