It has taken me some time to write a tribute and to remember Dean Albert, or Albert, as how I would refer to him. Perhaps I am not wrong when I say that there is one thing that Bert and I shared as a common memory - the excerpt of a "letter" penned by Margaret Silf in the final chapter of the book she authored entitled " Just Call Me Lopez". I had quoted this letter and placed it in a slide and framed it, presenting it as a gift during the retirement party of Albert at the AGSB in 2013. At the time of his passing and when Lorna read this same excerpt at the end of a memorial mass for Albert, I was again moved and deeply touched by how apt these words are as if Albert had appropriated them to be his own. Truly, our dear friend and colleague, Albert "has simply gone from Somewhere to Everywhere"! Even while here on Earth, as a colleague and friend at the Ateneo, Albert's unassuming and stabilizing presence in many a challenge and crisis always served as assurance that there is nothing to be afraid of if we courageously carry out the Lord's work here in this world and seek to do His will. That for me, is how I always remember Albert - as God's good and faithful servant who gave the best of himself to help people achieve the best of what they are meant to be. And he did this in a strategic, well thought through manner and with great generosity and heart. His kindness and gentleness was shared with everyone such that Albert always made himself available and approachable, ready to be of help. I have been a beneficiary of this many times in the many challenges and problems faced in our work in Ateneo and Albert always listened to me even as I would break down in tears talking to him about various concerns. Many times, his gift of presence was enough to assure me that all will be well and that things would be solved. Finally, Albert also left me with the legacy of acceptance that he always exhibited - not an acceptance that meant defeat but an acceptance of entrusting everything to God after doing everything we can, thus fully trusting the Lord to take care of the rest. So, to end, I quote again..."Walk on now in courage, and in deep content. You are God's pilgrim. God's love and grace are all you need. Thank you, and adieu, my friend, Albert!" - with deep respect and affection, Marife

Tito Albert is an inspiration to me in so many ways. Primarily, I admire him so much in being able to balance his work, family life and service to the Lord so effectively. He was also always generous with praise and cautious with criticism. He is a true leader in every sense of the word, a model father, worker, servant and Christian. We will all miss you po, Tito Albert. Thank you po for everything. Rest in the arms of the Lord.

Eulogy given by Dr. Amable R. Aguiluz V, fondly called "King" by everyone, during the memorial mass for Albert on May 23, 2020.

For Albert,
At first, I was reluctant to accept the invitation to join this memorial Zoom gathering for Albert because I found it difficult writing lines, finding the exact words to describe him and the emotions involved in it. I thought, it was easier to just sit and to continue enjoying the home quarantine than to do this at last. But it was equally difficult to say no to Lorna...

I met Albert in early 80s through another friend. That time, he was connected with government in concurrent capacities as Chairman and President of the government’s housing bank (Maunlad Savings Bank), Program Director of the Land Investment Trust Program and Senior Vice President of Home Financing Corporation. I knew he was also assisting the then Ministry of Human Settlements in these capacities. All these positions were held by him at a young age of 28. Later, he became Dean of the Ateneo Graduate School of Business.

In pursuit of AMA’s education endeavors, I needed someone like him who is full of knowledge, a financial analyst and a business strategist. Considering he possessed these desirable qualities, he remained unassuming and down to earth. 

I knew he would be my best friend, and I wasn't mistaken. In light moments, we shared personal thoughts and experiences. We developed mutual admiration and respect, that I considered him as my confidant. (I am just not sure if he also considered me as his confidant.)

We became very close to the extent that I couldn’t proceed with any project without asking for his thoughts and advice.

That’s why, in order for us not to part ways, I made him a member of the Board of Trustees, of all the companies and corporations I established.  Kaya, ‘ika nga, walang kawala. Diligently, he did not miss any Board meetings. In fact, he was always first to arrive in meetings, yet he didn’t mind being the last to be paid; knowing that salaries of our men takes precedence.

Moreover, he always made sure that all our meetings start with a prayer. After adjournment of meetings, we make time to reflect on specific items discussed, especially ridiculous proposals raised that brought us to a never ending laughter as we talk about the "kalabaw", our internal term jokingly referring to a request that appears too small as a rope only to find out that it was so big a request; there’s a carabao at the end of the rope, so to speak. Albert also brought to us the word "bolondyong", which means Stupid.

Our bond of friendship continued to strengthen, now involving members of my family. Para mas lalo pang walang kawala,. . . at may forever. . . , I made him Ninong in the wedding of all my children: Miguel and Christine, Angela and Poch, Clara and Jeff.

AMA gained so much from his expertise in strategic management and corporate governance. As an entrepreneur, I had all the guts; Albert had the theories, concepts and strategies.

Thirty (30) years ago, Albert had a heart attack. We thanked the Lord that he survived the very critical procedure. In God’s grace, and in the presence of the best experts, the operation went above all expectations; he recovered smoothly and fast enough.

Perhaps very few of us are aware that Albert was a prolific writer. In fact, he was also my speech writer. Notable of which was my speech and the message of one of my daughters, Angela, on her 18th birthday celebration.

Both Albert and Lorna are very religious; they dedicated time for their Parish. Albert worked for the establishment of a scholarship program in AMA for poor but deserving parishioners. On May 14, just last week, he texted me about another scholarship grant, which I immediately obliged.

That was our last conversation,. . . . virtual pa.

I know you’re in a better place now, without illness and pain. Surely, we will all miss you.

For Lorna and the whole family, I wish to let you know that I have been reading these words with deep sadness in my heart, but trying to make you all feel honored and special for the opportunity of knowing the amazing person that Albert was. He will be very happy if we will pursue Albert’s advocacies and legacy.

To quote another great Albert – that is, Albert Einstein - “Our death is not an end if we can live on in our children and the younger generation. For they are us, our bodies are only wilted leaves on the tree of life.”

It pains us very much not having the opportunity to physically attend today’s memorial service to pay our last respects due to the restrictions of the pandemia.

On behalf of my family and AMA, I thank you, my dear friend Albert, for having such an impact on my life, and making it rich with your unwavering support and unconditional friendship. You, will always be a part of AMA’s history – its risk-taking pursuits, challenges and achievements, blows and adversities, upturns and successes. Have a great journey up there.

Rest in peace, my best friend, Albert.

I have not known Tito Bert very long but I have always felt his innate gift for guidance. It was very easy for me to talk to him. He has always been such a “cheerleader” and ardent supporter for those he cared about and admired. I remember when my family went through a tough time a few years ago, even while having undergone surgery, he wanted to find a way to help us and was very vocal about how he would like to support us - he made sure that Arlene told my family about it. He truly is one of the kindest, most genuine people I know, a natural born leader. I feel very lucky and honored to have known him, albeit briefly, he truly made an impact in my life as well as that of my family. He will forever be missed.

Here are two tribute videos I made for Papa. In the second video, I used a song by The Beatles that Papa used to sing to us when we were kids. That song was my first introduction to The Beatles, and my sisters and I grew up listening to and loving this legendary band because of Papa.

https://vimeo.com/421753357

https://vimeo.com/545389321

Tribute given by Noemi Poblador on May 20, 2021 the ninth day of the novena for Albert's first death anniversary

One of the most admired lay leaders in our parish, the Presentation of the Child Jesus, and our very good and dear friend, was Bro. Albert. He was an epitome of a church servant – so warm & humble, pure of heart, super generous, very caring, & has genuine concern especially for the poor - our developing communities.  With his wit and wisdom, his endearing sense of humor, his profound understanding of faith and deep spirituality, and his faithfulness to God’s calling for evangelization, Bro. Albert is a true disciple of Christ, worth emulating.  
We, in the PCJ parish are so honored and blessed to have Bro. Albert and Sis. Lorna as our former parish pastoral council couple heads, who had led us in formulating our shared vision, mission and core values. God has truly bestowed on us one of the most beautiful gifts – the special gift of Bro. Albert and Sis Lorna. 
They spearheaded numerous parish programs, which have been adopted not only in our vicariate, but also in the entire diocese of Paranaque. The selfless dedication & zeal, tireless service and true leadership of Bro. Albert and Sis Lorna had a very significant impact in making our parish, a participative and proactive church. Indeed, Bro. Albert was Jesus’s model of a servant leader and a shepherd after His own heart. He will always be fondly remembered. We are forever most grateful and blessed. May God welcome Bro. Albert in the halls of His eternal kingdom. 

I have considered Tito Albert as an epitome of an almost perfect person - a whiff of class in his words, a balance of sense of humor and dictionary-driven style of presenting materials during church meetings. Almost perfect I should say but with Tita Lorna’s “time’s up” stare during meetings, he will readily cutoff his speech and hand the microphone to the next speaker.

His death brought sadness not only to my family but in the entire PCJ Commission of Youth (COY). Tito A, together with Tita Lorna, provided full support to COY - from programs, to fun fest activities, to scholarships,and even to youth problems.

We will continue to pray for you Tito A. When we pray for those who requested prayers, both River and Ranch always say, i-last na natin si Tito Albert sa prayer line-up, “busy si Tito Albert sa heaven, kakahandle ng management seminars”.

May the Blessed Virgin Mary continue to cover you with her mantle of protection as you simply enjoy the merits of His Eternal Kingdom.

We definitely miss you.
Until then Tito A.

Tribute given by Dr. Alran Bengzon during the Online Mass for Albert sponsored by AGSB on June 8, 2020

A HEAVENLY BIRTHDAY
Alfredo R. A. Bengzon, MD, MBA

Let me begin by addressing all who participate in the event this morning as Friends of Albert and his family.

For easy understanding I have divided this manuscript thus: an Introductory Part with three sections (A,B,C) and the Main Part with two sections (Narratives and Reflections)

A. The context or raison d’etre centers around what happened on May 21st or 18 days ago, for which I borrowed a terminology I first heard from my son, Dr Mikey in 2008 or 12 years ago. Eighteen days ago Albert celebrated his “Heavenly Birthday.”

B. The other perspective triggered in my mind between May 21 and today, June 7, has to do with time and timelessness or eternity, best illustrated by Fr. Jim Reuter’s favorite prayer.

“Lord God, look down upon us
This day, this hour
Regardless of what has gone before or what will come after.
Give us the grace to consecrate this time entirely to You
All the actions of our body and soul.
May all the thoughts that come to us be true.
May all the things to which our hearts go out be beautiful
With all the beauty of God.
May all things we want be good.
Give us the light to see your will
The grace to love it and the courage and strength to do it.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.”


C. On a similar occasion on May 23 or 16 days ago, I invited everyone on Albert’s behalf to invoke God’s unconditional love, and his boundless mercy and compassion for his good and faithful servant who gave the fullness of himself in complete obedience to the Lord’s customized plan for him from his beginnings to his final arrival home and the Lord’s embrace.

And then, very quickly I turned to Lorna and their family and loved ones and pointed out that Albert had gone ahead to prepare places for them.

I added, “Abrasos, Lagrimas y Oraciones.” May these hugs, tears and prayers lessen the sting of your sorrow and lighten the heaviness of your loss by reminding all of us that our Faith assures us that “Life is not ended, it is only changed.”

Narratives:
I have deliberately chosen the three stories that follow because I believe they tell us something about Albert and the Lord’s customized plan for him and how he has, in his life journey responded. It helps the reader/listener understand the connection between the Introductory Part and the Main Part and so clarifies propositions I raise in the Section under Reflections.

First, on Holy Week 2003, as Albert lay on the operating room table in the old TMC prepared for a quadruple bypass, his heart suddenly stopped. The entire surgical team, myself included and the family on standby were stunned into inaction and dilemma, assuming that either option of jumping into surgery or doing nothing would result in death. Surprisingly without words but only glances exchanged, surgery proceeded as if an “on switch” was turned on. Everything went well and he survived without any deficits.

Ten years later in 2013, Albert went into cardiac failure suddenly. Treated with what was then standard of care for such a crucial situation, a newly emerging technology – the use of stem cells – was added for 6 months. The outcome – survival and improvement which were what were at least hoped and prayed for ensued but the absence of deficits or debilitating disabilities provoked in the minds and hearts of Albert’s family and friends that perhaps something


special in Albert’s customized plan from the Author of Life and all in life was in gear.

Finally, 3 years later in 2016 he developed a hemorrhagic stroke where considerable bleeding worked its way into and destroyed some parts of the brain parenchyma. To reduce and diffuse the resulting increased intracranial pressure, portions of his skull were removed surgically (craniectomy) and concurrently a shunt was inserted into the brain spaces. Once more, a miraculous recovery without any deficits in his cognitive faculties, speech functions and motor abilities ensued.

Why am I going through all these factual recitations? 

Reflections

First, by the book he should have died from any of those harrowing incidents or at least be in a vegetative state or severely limited by deficits. So I invite all of you who have become aware only now of these gifts from the Author of Life and all in life, to add your profound thank you to those surely already and repeatedly raised by Albert and his family to God.

Secondly, all of us who are Albert’s friends now and for as often as our minds are so stimulated, must ask, “What is the Lord’s message to us about Albert now that he has left us and gone home?” It is my impression that most people think or regard their loved ones who are “gone” from our world as unavailable to us for engagement. Sure, we pray for them and even to them, but that’s about all! 

Which brings me to my third point for our reflection. Where Albert is now allows him to be more available to help us in our world. If God is the Ultimate CEO, Albert can be available to us as our “lobbyist.” Our life stories are what Albert lived out and how he went about living his part ensured his entry ticket into heaven. He is our best witness and he can argue our case and personalize it.

In my final reflection I believe that there is a relationship between Albert’s humanity and the gift-miracles that highlight the Lord’s customized plan for him during his life journey on earth.

Many countries in the world concede our giftedness – culturally, in education, in our social relationships and through our faiths. Yet our problems are seemingly unsolvable and intractable as evidenced by inhumanities that defy solutions despite efforts and talents even from people in position of authority and resourcefulness.

Consider the humongous ones: poverty, inequity, injustice, untruthfulness. On the other hand, reflect on two outstanding attributes of Albert as person and professional: the Spirit of Otherness and the foundational value of accountability (“pananagutan”).

From where he is, as platform and as model, he is available to us and eager to “lobby” for us 24x7.

In conclusion, I truly believe that all we need to do as individuals, families, communities is to change our mindsets and heartsets, the argument for which is “Life is not ended, it is only changed!” And “Mirabile Dictu,” believe it or not, such change cuts both ways. He is in heaven now, and for us, it is possible, I believe, to have an experience of heaven on this earth and in our time!

I rest my case!

With respect and affection,

ALRAN
June 7, 2020

Dean Albert Buenviaje: In Memoriam
A video tribute to his golden years in the AGSB

https://youtu.be/ZXCCiNfu_v0

We have a chat-group of former AGSB colleague with Albert. There is almost always a conversation going on in our chatroom. The threads are usually long and can go in all and any directions. And we try having face to face meetings at least at least once a month.

It was during this time that we have truly to come to accept and appreciate one another. It was during this time that I have come to know that:

Albert is a good and generous man. Many also know him as a great person with impressive achievements. What he has done, what he as accomplished, make him great. But who he is, is what makes him good and generous.

For some time in the past few days before he died, I was quiet in our chat group. He sent me a private message asking if I was okay. I did not tell the group then I just had a surgery. I simply told him I was okay. But the gesture – simple, sincere – was Albert at his best as a friend. Albert loved to check on his friends. He is always ready to help, to serve, to be a man for others.

His love and friendship for others knows no boundaries, no limits, no ends. He connects people. He enables and empowers them. He is very smart and can always come up with inspiring missions and visions. And it is with heart and love that he brings these to fruition.

I feel this love the most when I see his family. He is a super proud daddy to his tres Marias. And It is admirable how he has kept all of them close to his heart even though they are in different places of the globe. I love how he dotes on him grandchildren, specially Gabo.

I am happy for having Albert as a friend. I know we will never see him again. But he will always remain in my heart and memory. I have been greatly blessed to be part of his life and he of mine.

Thank you for the friendship Albert. I am looking forward to seeing and being with you again.

Happy First Birthday in heaven Fafi. You returned to your true home last May 21, 2020, so it will be your first birthday in heaven tomorrow May 21, 2021. Thank you for the love and laughter you have given all of us through the years. You have been such a wonderful husband, father, grandpa, mentor, colleague and friend to the people whose lives you have touched. Your passing left a huge void and we will miss you terribly. However, we are consoled by our belief that you have reached the fullness of time and have been rewarded by God with His eternal presence. Cheers to your heavenly birthday celebration. We love you. 

The poem below by Karen Boyer best personifies the loving and devoted father that you had been to our children.

Silent Strong Dad
He never looks for praises
He's never one to boast
He just goes on quietly working
For those he loves the most

His dreams are seldom spoken
His wants are very few
And most of the time his worries
Will go unspoken too.

He's there.... A firm foundation
Through all our storms of life
A sturdy hand to hold to
In times of stress and strife.

A true friend we can turn to
When times are good or bad
One of our greatest blessings,
The man that we call Dad.

Eulogy given by Abigail Buenviaje during the Memorial Mass for Albert on May 23, 2020,

On behalf of the Buenviaje family, I would like to thank you all for taking time out of your weekend to join us in the memorial service of my dad, Albert Buenviaje. I’m Abby, the eldest child of Albert and I was assigned the difficult task of speaking for the family.

Many of you know my Dad as the great, lovable Dean of the Ateneo Graduate School of Business or perhaps as the brilliant director/ or CEO leading the strategic management of several top companies, but what most of you don’t know (and this was shared by my late Lola), is that his original, long held ambition in life was to be a kutchero ng karitela– sorry, I need to explain what a kutchero is to my son, who can’t speak tagalog - kutchero is a coachman of a horse-driven carriage. This was a common means of public transportation back in the day, but now you can only see them in Intramuros. My lola explained that they rode a karitela once, and my Dad enjoyed the ride so much – I think they happened to be with a chatty kuchero – the kutchero was explaining the history of the different places they passed, told jokes, made sure that he and my lola were comfortable during the entire ride especially since there was a flood, and after the ride he saw my Lola hand over a few coins to the kuchero as payment – My Dad exclaimed that “This was his dream job – because the kuchero ng Karitela brought joy and learnings to people, was caring and reliable since you can only ride a karitela during floods and you got paid doing it.” A few days later, he said, he can perhaps also be a movie actor, but my Lola squashed this immediately and said he wasn’t good looking enough, and that he should just stick to his kuchero ng karitela ambition. 

My dad as you all know, did not become a kuchero, but the overarching principles of why he wanted to be a kuchero were carried on in his life – he brought joy, laughter, selflessness, care and learnings to everyone he met.

My Dad, being the true blue Atenean he was, always imbibed the vision of AGSB and would always repeat this mantra to his children and I’d like to share this with all of you -  “Expertise without integrity is empty. Integrity without expertise is ineffectual. Expertise and integrity without service is irrelevant.” I remember how a taipan who knew my dad told me once that my Dad was the “the most brilliant person he’s ever met and that he could either have been a multi billionaire due to his brilliance or ideally the President of the country”. Instead, my dad chose to devote most of his life, sharing his expertise through service and education – as a coach to his students, a mentor to CEOs and leaders, a strategic planner for corporates and a teacher to all.

Our family is extremely overwhelmed with the number of messages and anecdotes we received from people whose lives he touched. Leaders and students recount how instrumental my Dad has been in helping them achieve their goals and successes. My Dad also dedicated these past years as well (together with my mom) in working in the vineyard of the Lord, thru their involvement in various parish activities.  He unselfishly shared his leadership ability to the parish community. He took an active role in the various leadership development programs of the parish.  Coming from a poor family during his growing up years, his heart is always with the poor. He supported parish programs to improve the lives of the less fortunate families around them, not just financially (as he saw this as a temporary solution), but more so through EDUCATION, believing that when you give people the tools to improve themselves, eventually they can elevate their standard of living.

During this lockdown, my dad also re-tooled and made himself, in his own words “cool and tech savvy” to further people’s learnings. He learned how to use zoom. Every week, he would give us, his children a zoom lecture where we would discuss economic, capital markets and political updates. I work for an investment bank and naturally, I knew all these, but to be honest, my Dad always brought fresh perspective to these topics. We always looked forward to these and encouraged him to open these up to other people. The day before he passed away, he was actually so excited to launch his own virtual classroom for his students in the corporate world – to enumerate some of these topics are Strategic Management, Corporate Governance, Managing Change, Economics for Business. He posted his excitement on Facebook a few hours before he passed away. My Dad truly was that teacher and mentor that inspired hope, ignited the imagination and instilled in people a love of learning.

To the family, my dad was perfect in every way. To my mom, he was a loving and sweet husband.  My mom and my dad were high school sweethearts, which is something unheard of in this day and age, and which also means they’ve been together as a couple for more than 50 years! They were such a great super team supporting each other in every way. And after all these years, my dad still looks at my mom like he was seeing the most beautiful person in the room. My Dad even commented during one of our zoom calls that he wasn’t bothered at all by the lockdown, since he was locked down together with my Mom and that they were actually re-living their teenage years. Whatever that meant, that statement made all of us, his children cringe.

To us, his children, and also grandchildren and sons in law, apart from being our mentor, he was our greatest cheerleader. Whenever we had major projects at work, in school or every time we encountered difficulties, my dad would always end our conversations by shouting “Fight, anak, fight!” in encouragement. When we would succeed, he would lead us in a dance which he dubbed as the “Chipachi dance” – it was like a tribal success dance where we all formed a circle and chant our success. My Dad taught us that if you really put your mind into something, anything is possible, any difficulties can be overcome.

Most important of all was how our dad taught us to love and care immensely – to be selfless of one’s time for the people you love. He was always available for his family, despite his extremely busy schedule. He was always available for all our school activities growing up (awarding ceremonies, declamation contests, etc.). He was always available and would be the first to ask “kamusta” on text or viber and would remember for some reason all the important deadlines or work projects we had on our plate. He would never forget to ask how things were going for those milestones. He was always available to volunteer to personally be the taga-sundo from the airport of his balikbayan daughters (when Arlene was still living in Singapore and whenever Kaken would fly back from Australia). He was always available to be their personal chauffer to take them to wherever they needed to go during their visits, even if it was just to go to the mall. He would be the first to raise his hand if any of his grandkids needed a ride to the doctor or sundo from school. Whatever was going on with his busy life, he was always available and he was always there.

My dad had so many achievements in life, but while he never bragged about these, he was the proudest dad and granddad. He was always the very first one to post on social media whenever my sisters and I accomplished major projects, like an IPO listing ceremony, or my sister’s successful marketing exhibitions; or my sister’s major supply chain project – sometimes before even these were publicly disclosed and we’d have to remind him to take things off from social media. He would also be the first to post milestones of his grandchildren, like my son, Gabo’s report card; my niece Ela singing her favorite song from Frozen, even before us parents had the chance to do so. Hence we fondly nicknamed my dad the “Town crier”.

Despite my Dad’s many health challenges, God actually blessed us with so many years with him. He had his first heart attack at the age of 40 in 1992, a quadruple bypass in 2003 and his last health scare was in 2016 – when he had a stroke and underwent a double brain operation. And yet God allowed him to surpass all these challenges – allowing him to walk all 3 daughters down the aisle during our weddings, mentor several people to achieve their goals and most of all enjoy his two grandchildren, Gabo and Ela, immensely.

Pa, to say we’re going to miss you terribly is the greatest understatement. We can’t begin to imagine not having you at the end of the phone checking up on us, encouraging us and your grandkids and having you at our weekly zoom sessions. This is definitely a huge loss for us, and while we know the pain of your loss will be profound and deep, we are comforted by the fact that you are now home with your Creator.

Rest in peace, Fafi.