When it was announced last week that Gus Cerdeña decided that he be taken off life support, over a hundred people – mostly youth leaders from progressive groups and civil society – promptly came together for a vigil.

If the question of one’s legacy, what one leaves behind (or the lack thereof), is a thought we all confront in death, Gus could rest easy knowing his lifelong dedication to the youth sector was not in vain. 

Here was his legacy: they came with different names, different voices and languages, and different passions. But all shared a belief in a world that could be better. And all were connected by anecdotes of how their mentor Gus left a profound imprint on their lives.

On Monday, October 12, Gus died of cancer. He had just turned 48 last August 2.

Gus began his life’s work as part of the student council of the University of the Philippines – Diliman College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, where he majored in political science. 

After university, he would continue down the path of civil service by holding positions in groups such as Bisig Youth, HASIK, and WEDPRO.

Training young progressives

In 2003, Gus joined the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), a German non-profit foundation, as its program coordinator. He served the organization for 17 years until his death. 

Part of his accomplishments in FES is setting up the Academy of Political Management, an annual year-long leadership-training program for young leaders of progressive organizations and individuals “committed to the values of freedom, equality, social justice, and solidarity.”

In many ways, Gus’ youthful idealism was at the core of his activism. 

This is not to say that Gus was naive. On the contrary, he was one of the sharpest. He was fierce and spoke directly. He criticized and dissected issues with clarity and surgical precision, often utilizing humor and wit in an almost satirical fashion.

However, Gus’ colleagues, friends, and mentees would describe him as a person who always sought to believe in the goodness of people. (And they say sought because, even when he had every reason not to – including a literal stabbing – Gus clung to hope, forgiveness, and redemption.)

For youth leaders, it was easy to gravitate toward Gus for these said qualities. (And, it is easy to aspire to be like our “Tito” Gus.) Gus was as “cool” as he was principled. In Gus, we saw hope trump cynicism. This, in itself, was his act of revolution. 

During his vigil, one of Gus’ favorite songs was played. It was the classic “I’ll Be Seeing You,” as popularized by Billie Holiday. 

I’d like to believe that dead does not mean gone (because, as they say, death is only absolute once your name is uttered for the last time). And, true to the lyrics, with everything light –  from a lovely summer’s day, to morning suns and new nights, and to all the old familiar places –  we’ll be seeing you, Gus. (It will be hard not to.). – Rappler.com