Enrique N. Labsan - 1950-2009

by: Fatima Valeza

“A very good friend, indeed.” This was how Ma'am Emilie B. Yumang, the English Department Head of Gen. T. de Leon National High School described Mr. Enrique M. Labsan. I was tasked to write an article in memory of the head of Science Department who succumbed to sepsis last February 7, 2009.

My encounters with Sir Labsan were very minimal for he was not my teacher. But I saw him monitoring some school activities several times and he used to inspect the cleanliness of the classrooms and corridors. But these incidents were not enough to be able to write an article about him. So, I decided to have an informal conversation with the person closest to him, Ma'am Emilie Yumang.

Laughter filled the air as Mr. Enrique Labsan danced the night away during the JS Prom in 2007. Mrs Emilie Yumang and other faculty members were also at the dance floor.

Sir Labsan was born on May 18, 1950 in La Union. He started his teaching profession at St. Louis College in Baguio City. After a few years, he decided to transfer to Valenzuela Municipal High School in 1985. In 1997, he became a Master Teacher and in 2006, he eventually became the Science Department Head of Gen. T. de Leon National High School.

“He used to be a loner”, Ma'am Yumang narrated in an interview at the Department Head Office at the 4th floor. “Kuya Henry had a very close relationship with his mother and when she died, a part of him was left empty. He started to become a loner. But when he started to join our group (Ma'am Ana Domingo, Sir Yumang), he somehow remembered how to laugh heartily. We had fun together and even when we were working, we would still find little things to laugh about,” Ma'am Yumang continued. She was in a jovial mood when I interviewed her. But she suddenly stopped for a while, and I noticed she was teary eyed. “Its only hard to accept that when he died, we were not at his side because at that time, we were attending a planning session in Cebu together with our School Principal, Mrs. Salvacion David. Kuya Henry was supposed to be with us.” she added.

According to Ma'am Emilie, Sir Labsan was on the process of getting his passport because he wanted to go to Thailand, where his father was. Fate would later tell us that what he was preparing for was a passport to the next life. In spite of the pain and longing that his friends felt in his untimely death, Sir Labsan shall forever remain in the hearts of Ma'am Emilie, Ma'am Ana, Sir Danny and Ma'am Paz (Agustin) who calls him “my long lost friend”. “Parang nandiyan lang siya”, his friends always say.

True enough, his memo-ries will be remembered not only by his friends, but also by the teachers and students of Gen. T. de Leon National High School.

“Sir Labsan, may the force be with you as you embark on another journey – The After Life” .


“Love is stronger than death even though it can't stop death from happening, but no matter how hard death tries it can't separate people from love. It can't take away our memories either. In the end, life is stronger than death.” - Anonymous