Ditos Lobregat passes away
The late Concepcion Remedios "Ditos" Lobregat Balaguer (middle), eldest sister of Mayor Celso Lobregat, during happier days.
Concepcion Remedios “Ditos” Lobregat Balaguer, eldest sister of Mayor Celso Lobregat passed away due to cancer Saturday, October 17 at the St. Luke’s Hospital in Manila.
She was 63.
She was interred yesterday, October 19 at the Manila Memorial Cemetery beside the tomb of her late parents, Celso Tito and Mayor Maria Clara “Caling” Lobregat.
At the time of her demise, Ditos was the Honorary Consul of Spain to Mindanao with office based in this city.
She is survived by husband Ramon; children Ramon Jr., Nookie, Daphne and Clara; grand daughter Nadia and siblings Celso, Pablum, Joemar, Ditas and Jerome.
Mayor Celso Lobregat in a voice taped message from Manila aired after a memorial mass at the St. Joseph Church last night, thanked Zamboangueños especially relatives, friends and associates of his sister for their prayers and for the messages of sympathies and condolences.
He recounted that Ditos’ breast cancer was diagnosed 6 years ago when Mrs. Lobregat was still alive. Ditos underwent several treatments but the cancer cells spread to her vital organs in the last few years causing her demise Saturday.
“In the last year, her health turned for the worse and the cancer spread to the lungs and to the brain. She has been in and out of the hospital since then. And since August, she was confined at St. Luke’s. The last time I saw Ditos alive was October 14 and October 15 when I visited her at the hospital. And when I came back to Zamboanga on Oct. 16, I knew then that that would be the last time I will see her alive,” the mayor narrated.
The mayor described his sister as a very private person and that “her death and her death wish were reflective of her private character”. “Before she died, she asked that she be cremated on the same day of her death and be buried on the same day, too. She was cremated 6 pm on the same day she died, Saturday, October 17, but being a weekend, the earliest that she could be buried is today.”
“Even though she wanted her death to be simple and private, no less than President Gloria Arroyo called me this morning to express her personal sympathies and condolences,” the mayor said.
He said Ditos’ real name Concepcion Remedios reveals Ma’am Caling’s devotion to Our Blessed Mother. Concepcion was in honor of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception while Remedios was in honor of the Our Lady of Remedies.
Ditos was also a very meticulous and well organized individual, according to Mayor Lobregat. “Long before she died, she was already preparing for her death as she was the one who chose the urn containing her ashes.”
During her school days at the Maryknoll College in Manila, Ditos was a member of a band called Sunday Singers and the song “Downtown” by Petula Clark was one of their favorite songs, according to Mayor Lobregat. “Just last Oct. 11 when Cong. Erbie had a party with a band from Manila, I could not help but remember Ditos when the band played the song “Downtown”. This was one of the favorite songs of Ditos and the band Sunday singers used to sing, ‘when you’re alone and when life is making you lonely, you can always go downtown’.”
“As we say goodbye to Ditos, we are comforted by the fact that she has long prepared for her death and she died a peaceful death and that she is now with her Creator beside our father, Celso Tito and our mother, Caling”, the mayor said.
He added: “Thank you so much to each and every one of you and please continue to pray for the repose of the soul of my sister, Ditos.”
The mass at the St. Joseph Church 6:30 last night was officiated by Fr. Andy Barcelo and concelebrated by other priests from the Archdiocese of Zamboanga. (Sheila Covarrubias)