MANILA, Philippines – In my four years of college at the University of the Philippines, I have known students of the College of Mass Communication to be the noisiest on campus. At any given day, CMC students would be talking with each other at full volume even when they were only several inches apart.

Wednesday morning, when I finally had the chance to return more than a year after I graduated, CMC was eerily quiet. The signature noise and energy were gone. A Mass was being held at the college auditorium.

UP College of Mass Communication pays tribute to departed professor and journalist Chit Estella-Simbulan.

For once, the UP CMC community was silent as each one was glassy-eyed remembering the late journalism professor Lourdes “Chit” Estella-Simbulan.

Ma’am Chit died last Friday over a senseless road mishap along Commonwealth Avenue. She was aboard a cab that was badly rammed by a speeding bus. The veteran journalist and professor was 54.

It never crossed my mind that I’d be returning to the loud college in grief, one day; more so that I would be covering - in the journalistic sense - the death of the person who was among those who taught me that skill.

Not a professor, but a ‘teacher’

I was under Ma’am Chit’s “newsroom” class, or Journalism 121, about three years ago. Through her class, I learned how dailies operate, how editors tidy up copies, and how journalists report to the desks.

Ma’am Chit would discuss lessons calmly. But she taught us it would be fun to work in the media industry.

She was not strict, or at least, I didn’t see her acting like one. She was mild-mannered, and was always collected when lecturing in front of students.

In the early months of my semester with her, I received an unspeakably low grade in an exam on lead-writing. That grade, given that I am a junior, could have caused my expulsion from the college.

In my consultation with Ma’am Chit however, I felt as if I had done nothing wrong. She said that I can improve and I still have time for it.

I then redeemed myself in the succeeding layout test.

We, in class, were tasked to create a dummy front page of a newspaper, and indicate the elements such as text articles, photos, ads, etc. We were supposed to just draw corresponding lines to indicate which is which.

Bending the instructions, I used color pencils and designated a certain color for each of the elements: blue for articles, green for the masthead, orange for the photos... Of course, my odd, multicolored dummy page took Ma’am Chit aback. She then left me a message that somehow pierced through: “You tend to do more than what is asked for. Keep things simple. Effort is recognized though.”

UP College of Mass Communication alumni and students gather at the college auditorium to pay tribute to Chit Estella.

Apart from her composure, Ma’am Chit is also known for giving second chances even to failing students.

I and my Journ 121 classmates passed our final class project - which was a 'newspaper' - four days late. Despite how ridiculously tardy we were, Ma’am Chit still gave us a grade of 1.25 — the second highest grade for an academic work.

She could have flunked us, but instead she said we still deserved the grade. It was only our first time and we were still learning the ropes, she had said.

Ma’am Chit to be missed

I wasn’t surprised when I saw former and current students assembling at CMC to mourn Ma’am Chit’s loss.

Shortly after the Mass and tribute, I reminisced with them about the goodness of a great mentor. The CMC halls were filled with our murmured stories of how loving and motherly the journalism professor was.

“Kapag ano pang sinulat mo, lagi siyang merong isang comment na magpra-praise sa ‘yo… Hindi ka niya pahihiyain,” said Cyrille Yambao, an incoming senior student who was a student of Ma’am Chit.

Cyrille and her blockmate, Fatima Reyes, knew Ma'am Chit, having taken three subjects under her.

“Very masipag siya,” said Fatima, adding that Ma’am Chit has always wanted to see the good in students.

Cyrille later almost broke into tears when I asked what she will remember most about Ma’am Chit.

“Very motherly siya,” she said. “Isa siya sa mga inspiration ko kasi andami niyang sine-share na experiences niya at based dun, mas lalo kong naisip na gusto ko talagang maging journalist.”

"The Chit Estella Ring of Fire Trees and Narra Trees": Students plant trees in honor of Simbulan.

The college staff were dealt a hard blow with her death too.

The journalism department’s secretary Raquel Bacarra had a lot to tell about Ma’am Chit since the journalist became a full-time faculty member in 2005.

“Pagpasok pa lang, mabait na siya… Mabait siya sa lahat ng faculty, students, kahit sa akin,” Raquel said.

With her eyes welling, Raquel also praised Ma’am Chit. “Accommodating siya. Basta may kailangan 'yung estudyante, papupuntahin lang sa kanya. Lagi siyang nandu'n.”

Raquel is right: Ma’am Chit has always been there for us, her students, and for the entire UP CMC. Indeed, it would be difficult for a lot of us to return to the college next time without remembering her.

PHOTOS BY Roehl Niño Bautista