Activist and Community Broadcaster Tita Pet Dies at 72

By Vibe105

We salute the life of VIBE105 Ambassador Petronila Cleto who was a human rights activist, woman rights advocate, journalist, editor, writer, organizer and long-time community broadcaster.

We want to share our condolences to one of our most stalwart contributors and extend our sincerest condolences to her close family and many allies across the country that will miss her light and contribution to the many causes that impacted our communities.

We all knew her as ‘Tita Pet’. Right up until she passed away at the age of 72 (due to complications related to multiple organ failure) on January 11, 2018 - she was fighting her generous fight on behalf of the communities that she championed tirelessly.

Her list of accolades and media contributions extends beyond the scope of average belief. Tita Pet was a powerful advocate for women’s issues, and as an activist, was one of the organizers and active members of Gabriela Ontario. She was also a key contributor alongside our own Louie Queano on TV Migrante (a visual broadcast platform that supplemented her contributions on radio).

Randy Reid, General Manager and CEO of VIBE105.5 FM remembers her as...

 “...a kind and fair person. She always kept me honest and with very little effort, encouraged me to remember to stay true our core values.” He continues to state that “Tita Pet was easily one of the most memorable faces among our vast number of contributors because of her true passion for the causes she stood for. I will forever hold her in my heart as a best practice for staying the course toward the good fight. We love you Tita Pet!”

Tita Pet arrived to Canada in the 90’s where she continued her activism roots which originated in many years overseas back home in the Philippines and used her considerable writing skill to organize and inform the Canadian population about what was happening in the Philippines.

She edited two volumes of AKDAAN Literary Anthology, compiling the works of Filipino writers in exile. She was already working on the third volume, and, was planning on writing a novel.

Please join us in memorializing Petrolina (Tita Pet) Cleto for all she has contributed to our mass community, her family and friends. We will miss her undying commitment to championing a voice for the voiceless, her dedication to all Filipino people and more over her staunch support of women’s issues. 

Accomplishments:
•    Founding contributor of Gabriela Philippines, 
•    Women for the Ouster of Marcos and Boycott (WOMB), 
•    Concerned Mothers League and
•    Member of the first Philippine women’s political party, KAIBA. 
•    She helped establish the Women’s Crisis Centre in 1989 and was a member of it’s board and staff.
•    In Canada, she was invited to join the Writers in Exile Network of PEN Canada.
•    Member of Radyo Migrante (heard on VIBE105 from 1-2PM evey Sunday), award winner of the NCRA Language Content Award 2013 and 2016 J.S. Woodward Award for Human Rights and Equity
•    Member of TV Migrante
•    Lecturer at George Brown College

Petronila Cleto is survived by daughter Cynthia, sister Ruth Cleto-Dunn and a brother, Dr. Samuel Cleto (Winnipeg) ​