In memoriam: Inquirer correspondent Vicky Arnaiz, 54

Vicky Arnaiz

TACLOBAN CITY — Victoria “Vicky” Arnaiz, a correspondent of the Philippine Daily Inquirer based in this capital city of Leyte province, died of a massive heart attack on Wednesday. She was 54.

Arnaiz is survived by her seven siblings and four children — John Paul, Vanessa, James, and Joshua.

She served as board of director of the Philippine Red Cross-Leyte chapter and worked with the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry-Tacloban. She was the president of the Eastern Visayas regional police press corps and vice president of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines-Tacloban chapter.

Arnaiz, a survivor of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) that struck Eastern Visayas region in 2013, spoke before a climate change forum in Istanbul, Turkey, last year.

She is a daughter of the late Agustin “Gus” Arnaiz, considered the “dean” of Eastern Visayas journalists and founder of The Reporter, one of the first regional papers. Her brother Jani, also an Inquirer correspondent based in Maasin City in Southern Leyte, runs the online edition of The Reporter.

An overnight wake was held for Arnaiz at St. Peter’s Memorial Chapel on Real Street here. Her remains will be taken home to Maasin City today. She will be buried on Dec. 31. —JOEY A. GABIETA