Professor Cesar Matamorosa Mercado, Ph.D. died on March 8 after suffering a heart attack in Cebu City. He was 74.
Dr. Mercado was born in Albay on Sept 10, 1938. He graduated with a B.S. in Agriculture (Extension major) and M.S. in Agricultural Extension from the UP Los Baños, where he was a Graduate Research Fellow. It was at the University of Wisconsin (Madison) where he earned his Ph.D. in Mass Communication and M.S. in Agricultural Journalism.
From 1967 to 1985, Dr. Mercado taught at the College (then Institute) of Mass Communication in UP Diliman, where he co-founded the Department of Communication Research. He retired from the University as full professor.
For ten years beginning in 1985, he was planner/programmer and monitoring and evaluation specialist at the Bangkok-based UNDP Development Training and Communication Planning Programme for Asia and the Pacific (UNDP-DTCP).
In 1995, Dr. Mercado established the Development Consultants for Asia Africa and the Pacific (DCAAP), a Manila-based global training, research and consultancy, non-profit organization, which he served as president and chief executive officer. As social scientist, he conducted national and regional studies in South- and Southeast-Asia and produced more than 15 culturally adapted social technologies (CAST) which he shared with development workers, other social scientists and researchers.
A prolific writer, he authored some 200 technical and popular articles on management communication, training, and extension development, some of which were published as books. At the time of his death, he was working on the manuscript of yet another book on communication research.
A dynamic trainer, he taught over 5,000 scholars and practitioners in communication research, monitoring and evaluation.
He is survived by his children Jeffrey, Raymond, Joy, and Richie; and six grandchildren.
His body lies at Mercy B Chapel, Loyola Memorial Chapels on Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City.
Memorial services will be held for him at the UP College of Mass Communication auditorium, Plaridel Hall, UP Diliman, on Tuesday at 10 a.m. His former students and colleagues are invited.