Prof. Mario Urrutia III of the UPD Department of Broadcast Communication (DBC) passed away on March 1.

He was a great loss to the College of Mass Communication (CMC) at UP Diliman (UPD).

According to a post on the DBC Facebook page, Urrutia was a faculty at the University of Sydney, University of Santo Tomas, and Mapua University before becoming a full-time DBC faculty member, teaching theory and production courses. He was also a member of the DZUP Advisory Committee.

He held positions at GMA, Children International, National Anti-Poverty Commission, Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity, and the National Task Force against COVID-19.

Urrutia earned his master’s degree (media practice) from the University of Sydney in 2020 and bachelor’s degree (journalism) from the CMC in 2013.

Urrutia was CMC Student Council (SC) chairperson in AY 2012-2013 and representative of the Department of Journalism in AY 2011-2012.

A post on the SC Facebook page paid tribute to Urrutia saying, “He was an educator – a true Alagad ng Media – who was loved and respected by his students and colleagues.”

For his valuable contributions as SC chairperson, Urrutia was the first recipient of the CMC Outstanding Students Achievement Award for Leadership in 2013. He was also a member of the UP Journalism Club and the UP Cineastes’ Studio. Both student organizations, through their respective Facebook pages, expressed their appreciation for Urrutia.