UP Diliman (UPD), the UPD College of Architecture (CA), and the UPD School of Urban and Regional Planning (SURP) extended its condolences to the family of former faculty member Josefina “Josie” Ramos, PhD, who passed away on Jan. 21.

“Dr. Ramos was among the first members of the UPCA faculty who laid and developed the foundations of the UPCA and its programs. She also served as a member of the PRC [Professional Regulation Commission] Board of Environmental Planning,” said the CA in a Facebook post on Jan. 22

Meanwhile, SURP, in their Facebook page commended her selflessness and “years of dedication to environmental planning and architecture.”

According to the CA, Ramos joined UP in June 1970 as a full-time assistant professor of the then College of Fine Arts and Architecture. Three years later, in 1973, she was tenured and promoted to Assistant Professor II.

A Jan. 22 Facebook post by the Northern Mindanao Chapter of the Philippine Institute of Environmental Planners (PIEP) described Ramos as a “highly accomplished professional in the fields of architecture and environmental planning” who “achieved numerous ‘firsts’ in her career, from receiving a gold medal in architecture to becoming the first Filipino architect with a doctorate. Dr. Ramos represented the Philippines in global fora and received accolades for her leadership and achievements.”

The PRC website and the PIEP post list Ramos as PIEP chairperson from 1999 to 2022. The PIEP is the PRC-accredited professional organization for the field of environmental planning.

The CA announced that a wake for Ramos will be held on Jan. 25 from 12 to 10 p.m., with a mass at 6 p.m., at Diamond One, Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina City. Inurnment will follow on Jan. 26 at St. Paul of the Cross Parish Columbarium, SSS Village, also in Marikina City.