In Loving Memory of Dr. Charito Etulle

Born in September 23, 1952 in Naguilian, La Union, Philippines 

Departed this life in July 26, 2025 in Baguio City, Philippines

“Her life was a garden of knowledge, faith, and love.”

With deep love and profound sorrow, the family of Dr. Charito Etulle shares that she departed this life on July 26, 2025, at 6:00 AM at Baguio General Hospital due to cardiac arrest, following complications from diabetes, dementia, and a second stroke in January 2023.

Born on September 23, 1952, in Naguilian, La Union, Charito’s early life was shaped by hardship. Growing up in poverty, she often brought only plain rice and salt for lunch, if she brought any food with her at all. Too embarrassed to be seen eating so little to none, she would hide while other children ate. But even in those hidden corners, a quiet determination took root. She worked as a housemaid, a student assistant, and later as a sales lady at SM Manila, all while attending high school and college. Her perseverance and self-sacrifice were the foundation on which she built everything that came after.

Charito later became a great performing photographer at ColorWorld Studio in Baguio City and managed a boarding house while raising her children and supporting her husband, who worked abroad. At one point, in a small bedroom that held two to three bunk beds, she and her daughter would share the top bunk of one of the beds, so she could rent out the other beds to lady student boarders who were also trying to make ends meet. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was practical—and it reflected her resourcefulness, deep sense of sacrifice, generosity, and commitment to helping others. She knew how to stretch every peso, and gave her family everything they needed—with nothing left for herself.

She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology, Pre-Nursing, and Doctorate in Biology from the University of Baguio. As a professor of Biology, Botany, Anatomy, and Chemistry, she was revered for her unmatched memory and visual mastery—she could draw and label the full anatomy of nearly any organism entirely from memory. Her students didn’t just learn—they were captivated.

Even at home, she never stopped teaching. During meals, she would pick up a shrimp or a piece of chicken and explain its anatomy as though she were conducting a lecture. Her daughter, Karen, fondly remembers how, as a child, she would tag along to her mother’s college classes and sometimes whisper the answers to students during practical exams—earning candy or books as thanks—also earning warning looks from her mom.

Charito’s garden was a living extension of her soul. It bloomed with herbs, medicinal plants, vegetables, fruit trees, and ornamental flowers—each one nurtured with knowledge, purpose, and love. She believed healing could be grown, and she lived that belief every day.

From 2002 until January 2023, she served as President of Pines International Academy (PIA), which, under her leadership and the hard work of all the investors, staff, and teachers, expanded to Clark, Subic, Cebu, Japan, and China. PIA then inspired the establishment of OnEnglish.com (OnEduWorld Korea), the first online English school in the Philippines, founded by her daughter Karen, along with other Korean business investors. This, later on, became the digital arm of PIA.

Charito was a devout Roman Catholic and a committed member of the Unification Church. She served as adviser to the World Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles (W-CARP) and was active in the Women’s Federation for World Peace, which promotes interfaith harmony and peace-building through personal transformation.

She met her husband, Cecilio Osmeña-Etulle, in Baguio City, where he worked as a cook at Tropical Hut Hamburger, a well-loved Filipino fast-food chain in the 1970s and 80s. Together, they built a life of hard work, love, and faith.

Dr. Charito Etulle will be remembered as a woman of quiet brilliance, strength, and service. From poverty to the presidency of an international school, her life is a testament to what one woman can achieve when her will is stronger than her circumstances. Her legacy lives on in her children, her students, and the thousands of lives she touched.

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Wake Services

          📅 July 27–29, 2025

          📍 St. Peter’s Memorial Chapels, Km 4 Ben Palispis Highway, Bakakeng Central, Baguio City

Funeral & Cremation

         📅 July 30, 2025

         📍 The Sanctuary, Heaven’s Garden, Mary Hills Rd., Loakan, Baguio City

          🕗 8:00 AM – Funeral Service | 10:00 AM - Cremation & Inurnment at the Heaven's Garden Columbarium

“Well done, good and faithful servant.” -- Matthew 25:23

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