Top fashion designer murdered

CAMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna – Top fashion designer Ernesto “Ernest” Santiago was found dead in a pool of blood in his home in Barangay Rizal, Pagsanjan, Laguna on Saturday night.

Santiago was hit with a hard object on the head, but no gunshot or stab wound was found on his body.

Superintendent Felipe Rojas Jr., Laguna police director, said robbery might have been the motive because his jewelry, cash, and Strada Mitsubishi pickup are missing.

Santiago’s body was reportedly found by a certain Paulo Herrera, a stay-out house cleaner, who called up the Pagsanjan police to report the matter at around 10 a.m.

Police believe Santiago was killed on Saturday night.

Witnesses said they saw Santiago attend the Simbang Gabi at around 4 a.m. Saturday.

Investigators found a broken glass door in Santiago’s house that could have been used by the suspects to gain entrance to the master’s bedroom.

Santiago was a member of the Fashion Designers Association of the Philippines that was formed in the late 1950s with the rise of young male fashion designers following the footsteps of the phenomenal Ramon Valera.

In 1958, the young Turks of Philippine fashion — Pitoy Moreno, Ben Farrales, Aureo Alonzo, Casimiro Abad, Ernie Arandia, Arturo Cruz, Rudy Dandan, Gilbert Perez, Emil Valdez, and much later Christian Espiritu bonded together to form the Philippine Couture Association.

The success of their association formed the Fashion Designers Guild of the Philippines, spearheaded by Valera himself and the dames of Philippine fashion like Salvacion Lim-Higgins of Slim’s, Pilar Ver- Romack of New Yorker, Vicky Galang of Madonna’s, and Gunding Noguera of Très Chic, along with Tony Abeto, Karlos Burgos, Bert Hernandez and Pedrito Legaspi.

When President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law in 1972, both groups became inactive and faded to oblivion.

Around the mid-’70s, a short-lived Buklod led by Christian Espiritu, Rudy  Fuentes and Ernest Santiago came into being.

The group, weighed down by internal conflicts primarily due to clash of personalities, quickly disbanded after their first gala show.

In 1981, when the concept of ready-to-wear designer clothes was starting to catch on in the local market, the Fashion Designers Association of the Philippines was born with Cesar Gaupo as president and Ernest Santiago as chairman of the board. — with Ed Amoroso