Personal Data:Name --- Professor Cecilia Reyes-Domantay
Date of Birth --- February 1, 1906
Place of Birth --- San Pablo City (Formerly San Pablo, Laguna)
Date of Death --- August 4, 1969
INSTITUTIONS ATTENDED Intramuros Primary School 1917 San Pablo Elementary School 1920 University of the Philippines High School 1924 University of the Philippines 1926 Associate in Arts (A.A.) University of the Philippines 1927 Bachelor of Science in Education (B.S.E.) University of Sto. Tomas 1933 Master of Arts (M.A.) (Meritus) University of Sto. Tomas 1937 Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D. Meritissimus)
EXPERIENCES AND POSITIONS HELD
- 1928-1938 -- Critic Teacher in General Science, College of Education, University of Sto. Tomas
- 1931-1933 -- Instructor in Bacteriology & Educational Psychology, Instituto de Mujeres, Manila
- 1938-1948 -- Instructor in Child & Educ. Psychology, Biology, National Language-Zamboanga Normal School, Zamboanga City
- 1948-1950 -- Instructor and Dean, College of Education, Pilar College, Zamboanga City
- 1950-1953 -- Instructor and Dean, College of Liberal Arts, Zamboanga A.E. Colleges, Zamboanga City
- 1953-1969 -- Associate Professor, College of Nursing, U.S.T., Manila
- 1969 to date of Death in August 4, 1969 -- Full-pledge Professor in Zoology, College of Nursing, U.S.T.
POST GRADUATE STUDIES
- Took post graduate courses in Botany and Zoology at the University of the Philippines, 1928-1930
- Summer Studies at the U.P. Marine Biological Station, Puerto Galera, Mindoro, 1929-1931
- Made some researches on Echinoidea at the Fisheries Marine Station, Zamboanga City
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- Dean, College of Education, Pilar College, Zamboanga City; also Dean of Women in the same Institution for the same period.
- Dean, College of Liberal Arts, Zamboanga A.E. Colleges, Zamboanga City, 1950-1953; also Dean of Women in the same Institution for the same period.
- Vice President to the PAUW Zamboanga Chapter 1950-1953, Chairman of the Red Cross Campaign in Zamboanga City, 1939-1941
- Commencement Speaker in Several Academic and Vocational Schools in Zamboanga City, 1938-1953.
- Speaker in a Public celebration of President Quezon's Birthday in Zamboanga City on August 19, 1947.
- Co-author on the Studies of the Classification and Distribution of Philippine Littoral Ophiuroidea, Phil. Jour. Science vol. 95, Nov. 1, 1966.
- Contributed to Parts I and Parts II of the Manual for Laboratory in Zoology, U.S.T. Nursing.
- Edited and authored a Textbook entitled "Essentials of Zoology" for College of Nursing, 1967, with a Jr. co-author, Mrs. Punla.
In April 1952 my whole family left Zamboanga to resume the work at the Central Office in the Bureau of Fisheries in response to the order of the Director. Mrs. Domantay returned to Zamboanga to finish her contract as Dean of the College of Liberal Arts in the Zamboanga A.E. Colleges for another Academic year. The following year 1953, she joined the family already in Manila and resumed her connection with the University of Sto. Tomas from where she severed her connection in 1938 to join her husband in Zamboanga. When they came, it was summer, the hottest part of the year, so they had to readjust themselves before they got well acclimatized. Mrs. Domantay had frequent recurrences of asthma and had been hospitalized often times.In 1954, she supervised the construction of their residential house in San Francisco del Monte. When it was finished and ready for occupancy the family moved to the place and got well adjusted to the new environment where she got relief from recurrence of asthma. One evening in 1962, just before Christmas, she met an accident near their place when she was pushed by a bag-snatcher and was hospitalized because of fractured hip-bone. Before she left the U.S.T. Hospital, after a period of more than 2 months she took the opportunity to undergo an operation of an enlarged parathyroid gland which relieved her a great deal from the frequent recurrence of asthma.
In the middle part of 1966 an unusual vaginal bleeding was noticed after many years of menopause, so she consulted a physician. She underwent a biopsy operation for histopathological examination and it turned out positive for adeno carcinoma of the uterus. She undertook radium and cobalt therapy for some time. In March 1967 she underwent some check-up for possible surgical pathological operation but was not undertaken as it was not advisable according to a specialist. A year later she underwent another examination and was declared almost 95% cured. In the later part of 1968 she underwent another check-up and was found to have recurrence of cancer. In January 1969 she underwent an exploratory laparotomy and the surgeon did not remove anything because the cancer was already in the advanced stage. She was advised to undergo chemotherapy with Cythoxan and Oncovin under an Oncologist who has stayed long in the John Hopkins Hospital. During the first two months under this treatment, she felt better and improved a lot although he was told frankly and confidentially that it was only a temporary treatment. She was then advised by the physician that if she still desired she could already make a trip to the Holy Land and to the Grotto of Lourdes in France to fulfill a pledge. For some reason however, the granting of the visa was delayed so she was not able to make the trip immediately. Three months later she developed metastasis and contaminated the digestive organs. There was an abnormal accumulation of abdominal fluid which had to be removed several times. In one occasion, she was administered a radioactive gold chemical to minimize the metastasis but the reaction was very awful. She almost could not stand the terrible reaction, but later it subsided and felt better. She stayed in the hospital for a couple of weeks after that the insisted that she be taken out of the hospital already. Inspite of her physical condition, she still wanted to go outdoors. She entered the hospital seven times, 3 times in the Manila Doctors' Hospital and 4 times in the St. Luke's Hospital.
In the morning of August 4, 1969, she was taken back to the St. Luke's Hospital because of frequent vomiting the previous night. She arrived at the hospital at around 10:00 A.M. She was in a state of shock, almost unconscious, but was revived after half an hour. Three hours later at around 2:00 in the afternoon, due to heart failure, she succumbed and breathed forth her last. Her body was taken to Funeraria Paz where she was laid in State the first night and then transferred to the San Pedro Bautista Parish Church in San Francisco del Monte, Quezon City where she was laid in State until August 7th. The following morning, August 8, she was brought to the U.S.T. Chapel where a requiem Mass was said by Rev. Fr. Alfredo Panizo, O.P. Dean of the Graduate School, U.S.T. After the last rites she was interred at the Manila Memorial Park in Paranaque.
Throughout the duration of his wife's suffering, he has done his best to give her the best of his care and love but to no avail. He has admired her mental courage to live longer to continue her professorial obligation up to the last day she died. With her death he lost a better half whom he could not forget for the mutual love that they have shared with each other. In that fatal day of August 4, 1969 he became an orphan of his wife's maternal love.
