Jorge Arago; 68

Screenwriter and journalist Jorge Arago passed away during the holidays apparently due to heart attack. His body was found on Dec. 27 in a condo unit where he was working on a project. He was 68.

Arago was a freshman at the University of the Philippines in Diliman when he met another student, Ishmael Bernal, with whom he shared an interest in making films.

He went on to write the screenplay of two Bernal films—“Nunal sa Tubig” (1976) and “Sugat sa Ugat” (1983), as well as Bernal’s episode in “Bakit May Pag-Ibig Pa” (1979).

He served as script consultant for Bernal’s 1980 film “City After Dark” (originally titled “Manila By Night”).

Arago also worked in the news department of the premartial law ABS-CBN, and at the defunct Philippines Daily Express.

News of Arago’s death was relayed to the Inquirer by screenwriter Jose F. Lacaba, who added that Arago also cowrote with director Briccio Santos the indie films “Ala Verde, Ala Pobre” (2005) and “Ala Suerte, Ala Muerte” (2007).

Arago won with Santos the best screenplay award at the 2005 Cinemanila.

Cinemanila head Tikoy Aguiluz lamented that Arago “had gone quietly, unknown to most of the new generation of writers and filmmakers.” He said that Arago had left behind an unpublished book on Bernal and an unproduced screenplay.

Santos, chair of the Film Development Council of the Philippines, told the Inquirer: “Jorge was one of my closest friends. He was brilliant … a very good person. We will miss him.”