Cultural activist Carlos Celdran, 46

MANILA, Philippines – More than nine years after he stirred controversy for staging a protest at the Manila Cathedral over the Catholic Church’s opposition to the reproductive health law, cultural activist Carlos Celdran passed away in Spain yesterday. He was 46.

“As the family is making arrangements to bring him home, no details can be announced yet. Only that he passed from natural causes,” Celdran’s wife, Tesa, said in a Facebook post yesterday afternoon. 

Celdran was a visual artist, writer and activist. He started his career at 14 as a cartoonist for the newspaper Business Day. He graduated with a fine arts degree from the Rhode Island School of Design in the United States in 1996. 

Celdran made headlines on Sept. 30, 2010 when he staged a protest in the cathedral dressed up as national hero Jose Rizal and holding a placard that read “Damaso,” referring to the friar in Rizal’s novel that symbolized oppression and corruption by the Church during the Spanish occupation.

He staged the protest during an ecumenical service attended by high-ranking Church officials.

Celdran’s conviction for “offending religious feelings” was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said Celdran, who staged walking tours of Intramuros, will be remembered “in the tourism industry, not only for his brilliant and sought-after tours that breathed new life into ‘Old Manila,’ but for inspiring others as well with his passion and knowledge of Filipino culture and heritage.”

Vice President Leni Robredo said she will “always be grateful for his support and appreciative of his contributions to raising the awareness of our fellow Filipinos regarding our history and culture. He will be missed.” Janvic Mateo