Farewell Ate Nits

PRESO, Inc. mourns the passing of our dear Ate Nita Silva Mangaser, who left us last December 5, 2025. Nita lived a life of quiet dignity - never loud, never seeking attention, but deeply present where it mattered most. For more than two decades, she walked with persons deprived of liberty, first as a lay volunteer in the Diocese of Novaliches and later as one of PRESO Inc.’s own. Her service was never just a task; it was a way of life rooted in compassion, patience, and love.

As a paralegal staff and Community Bail Bond Program Field Officer, Nita helped secure the release of 64 PDLs. But to her, numbers never mattered as much as names and faces. She went beyond monitoring requirements. She listened, she worried, she followed up, she gave what little she had. She became a confidante, a counselor, sometimes even a source of financial help when no one else could step in. Today, we believe she continues that care in a different way, as a guardian angel to those she once walked with.

Many of us can recall her silent generosity. Just last October, Nita shared her own ₱5,000 so a nearly illiterate client could complete mediation and avoid detention—without hesitation, without fanfare. She traveled to Bulacan despite criticism and obstacles, simply because she believed that mercy should always have a chance. That client, like many others, may never fully know how much Nita gave. But heaven surely does.

To her colleagues, Nita was more than a co-worker. She was a companion, adviser, critic, trainee, counselor, admirer, and a true friend. Some of us spent more time with her than with our own siblings. She checked if you got home safely. She worried if you were left behind. She cared in the smallest, most human ways. Her absence has created a vacuum that feels impossible to fill, and a “why” that still lingers in our hearts.

Farewell, Nitz. Salamat sa buhay ng tahimik ngunit tapat na paglilingkod. You may have left us too soon, and we may never fully understand why. But we trust that God knows best. Rest well, good soul with green bones. Please keep watching over us, over PRESO, and over the many lives you helped rebuild. You will always be remembered, and you will never be forgotten.