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Manuel I. Yamsuan, Jr., more fondly known in media and art circles as “Noli”, photojournalist and photographer of saints, popes and bishops, passed away at 3:54 p.m. December 10 at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center. He was 71.
Noli had been in the hospital for more than a month, after having suffered an acute stroke and complications of diabetes.
In a career that spanned more than 40 years, Noli documented and photographed – for various international and local publications – historical and political milestones in the country. But he is most remembered and acclaimed for his coverage of the life and ministry of the late Jaime L. Cardinal Sin, Archbishop of Manila. As Cardinal Sin’s official and personal photographer, Noli also chronicled major events of the Philippine Catholic Church, including the three papal visits to the Philippines by two Popes (Pope John Paul II in 1981 and 1995 and Pope Francis in 2015).
He continued to “shoot bishops and priests”, as he often said in jest, as photo editor and chief photographer of the Archdiocese of Manila. Over the past few years, he shared his expertise in the unique craft of liturgical photography through a series of seminars for professional and student photography enthusiasts.
Noli was a licensed chemical engineer, having graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Santo Tomas, where he also completed his secondary education. He joined the defunct Philippine Daily Express in 1972, giving in to a passion and launching a long and multi-awarded career in photojournalism and photography. He has worked for or contributed to local publications such as Veritas Newsmagazine, Manila Daily Bulletin, Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Sunday Inquirer Magazine, Metro Magazine, Taipan, Sports Asia and Woman Today Magazine, and international publications, including Time Magazine (USA), News and World Report (USA), Asiaweek (Asia), Asia Magazine, Orientation and Asia Today (Australia).
He was photo editor or contributing photographer of numerous coffee table books, among them Totus Tuus (1982), Bayan Ko (1986), People Power (1986), John Paul II, We Love You (1981), Cuaresma, Scenes of Sin (32 Years of Photographing Cardinal Sin), People Power 2 Lessons and Hopes, Remember I Love You All Very Dearly, Pasig, A Pilgrimage of Faith with Mary, Pueblo Amante de Maria, “I Am Here” (Pope Francis’ 2015 visit), and Journeys (40 years of the MMDA).
The wake will be held at Chapel A, Christ the King parish church, Greenmeadows, Quezon City, beginning Sunday, December 11.
Noli is survived by his wife, Peachy, and children, Jimbo and Jinky, Erwin and Kat, and Paola, and four granddaughters. They express deep gratitude to all who have prayed with them during his confinement at the hospital and their profound appreciation for the continued support to alleviate their other burdens in this time of grief.
