Dr. Ruben Belza Santos Cuyugan, age 91, passed away on August 12, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. He was the third child of Dr. Gervasio Santos Cuyugan and Jacinta Belza. Dr. Santos Cuyugan is survived by his five children, Sandra Concepcion, Joan Bohlmann (Gene), Ani Torres (Chris), Gloria Santos Cuyugan and Carlos Santos Cuyugan, sister Fides Santos Cuyugan Asensio, grandchildren Lemuel Chanyungco, Juno Lazatin, Juano Concepcion , Marco Concepcion, Ramon Banaag, Christopher Torres Jr. , Habagat Santos Cuyugan, great-grandchildren Milo Lazatin, Huxley Lazatin, Jaden Concepcion, nieces, nephews and cousins.
Santos Cuyugan earned his Bachelor of Philosophy degree from the UP College of Liberal Arts in 1949. He received his MA (1956) and PhD (1959) degrees in Sociology from Harvard University. His doctoral dissertation is entitled “Decision-Makers in a New England Community: a Study of Social Influence and Social Power”.
At UNESCO, he headed the Division for the International Development of Social Science in Paris. He had a long career with the University of the Philippines, where he served as a Professor of Philosophy and Sociology. He was the first Dean of the U.P. Asian Center. Later, he became Chancellor of the Philippine Center for Advanced Studies (PCAS), and a member of the UP Board of Regents. He is also one of the pioneering figures behind the formation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
We will keep our memories of him and our late mother, Gloria David Santos Cuyugan , alive and take comfort in knowing they are together now.
Written by Joan SC Bohlmann