Members of the Ateneo community and netizens paid tribute to the late Ateneo de Manila Junior High School teacher Emmanuel Joseph Pavia who was shot dead while he was on his way home on Monday night.
READ: Ateneo HS teacher and anti-drug advocate shot dead in Marikina
The tributes to Pavia, more known to his students as 鈥淓m-J,鈥� came in tweets and posts on social media with the hashtag #RIPSirPavia.
Twitter user Alvin Joseph Dolores described Pavia as a 鈥渕odern-day hero.鈥�
鈥淎 teacher. A modern-day hero. Not just another dead body,鈥� he said of the late teacher.
Another Twitter user, Alo Lantin, said that Pavia 鈥渄ied for being a good person. He died for being good.鈥�
Some of his former students thanked him for being a good teacher who made them smile inside the classroom and gave them advice.
鈥淚 wish we could say 鈥榞ood bye and thank you sir鈥� one last time,鈥� said Twitter user Ryan Herrera.
Others expressed hope that Pavia鈥檚 death would not be counted as a mere statistic in the lengthening list of extrajudicial killings under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Pavia, 24, was homebound Monday night when a lone 鈥渉ired鈥� gunman shot him at St. Joseph Avenue, in Dela Costa Homes, Barangay Barangka, Marikina City at around 7:18 p.m.
According to Chief Inspector Eduardo Cayetano, chief of the station investigation unit of Marikina City Police, Pavia suffered two gunshot wounds in the head and at the back of his body.
Cayetano said that they are looking into the possibility that his being an anti-drug advocate may have something to do with his death.
鈥淗e is one of the people strongly advocating against illegal drugs since we started the all-out war against drugs,鈥� Cayetano said.
Even parents spoke kind words about Pavia.
鈥淗e was 鈥榲ery close and inspirational to the boys鈥�,鈥� an Ateneo parent said.
鈥淗e was a favorite of a lot of kids even if his subject was Math,鈥� the parent added.
Pavia was also the Athlete鈥檚 Council moderator at the ADMU High School.
He belongs to a family of ADMU teachers, the son of Gerardo Pavia and Margarita Pavia, who are both faculty members of the ADMU Senior High School and the brother of Nestor Jose Pavia, another faculty member of the ADMU Senior High School. AJH/CDG/rga