AJ Matela, You Will Always Be Loved and Remembered...

It was truly sad and heartbreaking to hear about the passing away of one of the most influential bloggers I have ever met. I find him the HUMBLEST, too. Ariel James Matela, also known as AJ Matela, of baklaako.com is unquestionably a great loss in the blogging community.

I remember meeting him in person for the first time during the Digital Filipino Club and Bloggers Fellowship Night at the Casino Filipino-Parañaque sometime in October 2008. He was the one who approached me and asked confidently, "Nicely?" I smiled back, expressing the grateful and flattered look in my eyes, realizing that a popular blogger in his person knows me by my first name. We shook hands and the conversation went smoothly well, fun, and sensible, as AJ—as we all know—is the kind of person who is always full of good energies and brilliant ideas. We talked about our blogs, fashion, and some slice of life, while sipping a glass of red wine in our one hand. Our small talk ended when he saw another blogger who I also know as one of AJ's closest friends in the industry.

With AJ during the Digital Filipino Club & Bloggers' Fellowship Night

October 2008

AJ is naturally kind and accommodating, no matter what the level of friendship he shares with that person. I was only among his avid blog readers, yet he tried to reach out to know me better, even for a while. I soon became one of his many followers who admire his principles, intelligence, and humility. For me and for many other friends, Ariel James Matela will always be loved and remembered.

As AJ joined the Lord Almighty above, his bereaved family is left grieving by the loss of a good son and brother. They are also coping with the finances, which they used for AJ's medical and hospitalization expenses in the past months. His family is in dire need of our monetary help to pay the bills, so please open your heart and lend a hand for the Matela family—FOR AJ.

You may contact AJ's mom thru her mobile numbers: 09085701555 or 09279848142. Bank details of the family are:

BPI Savings Account

8669-0851-93

Eric John Matela

Kidapawan Branch

BDO
5267-27000-7474-501
Anne A. Matela
Cash n Carry

You can also donate via Paypal at fundsforAJ@gmail.com (it will give you a notice that you’ve sent it to Sapphia). Of course, full access has been given to the family to monitor donations. Make sure you’re sending it as a personal payment and not a business payment so there’s no extra fee. If you can help organize a fundraiser, please leave a comment so we can talk about it with the family. We need all the help we can get.

Please also like this page 1000 Volunteers for AJ Matela: http://www.facebook.com/pages/1000-Volunteers-for-AJ-Matela/172748082800920?sk=wall.

(Details source: Tanggera.com and Micamyx.com's tribute blog posts for AJ)