Amor Navalta Oribello Jr.

Amor Navalta Oribello, Jr. was born on January 16, 1943, the first of five children to parents Rev. Amor Viduya Oribello, Sr. and Delfina Navalta Oribello in Balaoan, La Union Philippines. It was quite a tumultuos period in the country as it was during the Japanese occupation.

After the war, the family settled in San Fernando, La Union. He started working early, selling ice cream and shining shoes. He was the PMT Corp Commander and graduated Valedictorian at La Union City Colleges High School.

He was admitted to Baguio City Colleges and worked as a waiter at Camp John Hay. He later transferred to the University of the Philippines finishing his Bachelors degree in Public Administration.

He joined the Order of DeMolay International, was Past Master Councilor and was awarded the Chevalier degree. He wrote the lyrics to the DeMolay Hymn with his friend Jerry Dadap composing the music. While in UP, he was also very active with the UP Christian Youth Movement and it was during this time that the Church of the Risen Lord was seeking recognition as a local church for the Protestant community in the University. He was also an active participant of the CRL choir joining in various projects and tours across the country.

After graduating from UP, he immediately joined the University staff as the youngest Assistant to the Vice President of the University. He handled staff hires as well as vendor contracts for the University. He was instrumental in starting the UP Staff Chorale. He was also quite active in the political unrest during that era. He was a member of the Kamanyang player’s Guild, later named Kalinangang Anak-Pawis which expressed sociopolitical commentaries and raised people’s awareness through theatrical plays. This was where he met his future wife, Precy. They were wed by his father, the Rev. Amor Oribello Sr., at a simple ceremony at home on October 2, 1971. Martial law was subsequently declared the following year.

Their union was blessed with five children - Karla Amor in July, 1972; Karina Grace in September, 1974; Adrian Mark in April, 1976; Khris Delamor in September, 1985; and Alexander Rey in January, 1989.

He left UP to work with Grolier’s International selling encyclopedias. He later joined the Family Planning Organization of the Philippines working on population-related research and services where he made a name for himself in the NGO circles. He subsequently left the organization and established several NGO’s including The Women’s Healthcare Foundation (Whealthcare) and Institute for Social Studies Research and Action.

In the mid-80’s, after a rigorous selection process, he joined the International Planned Parenthood Federation, a London-based NGO as a Program Officer overseeing population-related projects in the East and Southeast Asia and Oceania Regions.

While based in Malaysia, He travelled the area extensively- Japan, Korea, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia. He was then assigned to Papua New Guinea and extensively travelled the area including Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, Western Samoa, Tuvalu, Kiribati.

With his children rapidly growing up, he decided to come home for good in 1989.

On his return to the Philippines, he finished his Masters degree in Business Administration at the Philippine Christian University.

At work, Amor engineered a social enterprise concept by creating a business which will benefit and support organizations addressing specific social needs, giving rise to Fulcrum Ventures, Inc. He pioneered direct marketing of shoes through a network marketing business model in the Philippines.

In accordance with his mother’s plans for family reunification, Amor and Precy with their three youngest children migrated to the United States in 1997, the last of the 5 siblings to do so.

He initially worked at various short-term jobs, and businesses in splitting his time between the US and the Philippines. After settling in Vallejo, CA, he accepted a position for the State of California as an Employment Program Representative. He joined the United Church of Christ in Vallejo where he was a member of the Church Council and helped establish and strengthen its by-laws.

With his father’s declining health, he sought a transfer to Buena Park, CA in 2009 to be closer to his dad.

Amor worked for the State for almost 15 years in total before retiring and moving back to Northern California with Precy.

He was diagnosed with metastatic sarcoma a few years later.

After the death of Precy in 2017, Amor went back to the Philippines to reconnect with family and friends.

He spent time travelling with relatives and childhood and college friends.

He was very active in the Church of the Risen Lord, his home church since he was a student, and was a member of the Council of Elders. He was also the head of the CRL men’s group.

He was reinstated to the Rafael Palma Lodge 147 of the Free and Accepted Masons, having been inactive for many years, and was elected president of the Senior DeMolay Association of JASC.

He was working on various projects on multiple fronts when he got sick requiring hospital admission.

It was then discovered that his condition had drastically worsened. He went back to Northern California where he subsequently succumbed to his illness in the early hours of August 6, 2019 surrounded by all his children and grandchildren.

Amor was a natural-born leader, dedicating his life in service to others. He firmly believed that it only takes as little as one member of the family to rise and break the cycle of poverty. To this end, he always sent financial support to those who needed help, no matter how tight things may be personally.

He will always be remembered for his passionate views, his jovial personality, his booming karaoke voice, and his legendary interpretative dance moves.