THOUSANDS MOURN ‘NANAY NENE NG TONDO’

THOUSANDS of mourners on Sunday gathered to pay their final respects to Angela “Nanay Nene” Lopez Ching who passed away on Sept. 4.

“Nanay Nene” was a beloved community leader and cultural icon in Tondo. She led and supported the traditional “Lakbayaw Festival” and Pasiklaban sa Tondo for 15 years.

The Manila City Council officially honored her preserving the religious and cultural traditions of the Sto. Niño de Tondo.

For 36 years, she devoted herself to serving Tondo residents, earning the affectionate title “Nanay” from generations of families, artists and community groups she supported.

She was remembered as a tireless advocate for local talent, helping discover, nurture and promote performers and cultural groups in Tondo. 

The Varona Drumbeaters were among those who benefited from her encouragement. The group mourned her passing, the woman who believed in the potential of local talents.

Beyond talent development, “Nanay Nene” played a role in preserving Tondo’s cultural traditions, including Lakbayaw, while using arts and community service to bring residents together.

Friends and community members recalled how she made herself available to families in need, offering care and support without seeking recognition.

Her funeral, which lasted for almost eight hours, drew a large cross-section of the Tondo community, reflecting the lasting impact of a woman whose influence extended far beyond any formal title.

For those she helped, “Nanay Nene’s” legacy lives on in the talents she nurtured, the traditions she helped preserve, and the community she served with love and commitment for 36 years.

“Nanay Nene” was a mother to many in Tondo…her  memory will remain part of the community she loved.

Meanwhile, businessman-philantrophist Don Robert Gaza, son of “Nanay Nene,” thanked all the people who expressed sympathies in the passing of his mother.

Gaza said the outpouring of love was shown by the people of Tondo who paid their final respects to his mother  whose kindness, love, and legacy will continue to live on through the community she served.