A 25-year-old journalist from the Philippines is being remembered by loved ones as a gentle, radiant presence who touched everyone around her.
Jan Cuyco, a member of Agence France-Presse’s (AFP) fact check team in Manila, died on Monday, Dec. 8, following a monthlong illness, according to an online memorial fundraiser and the news agency. Her family has chosen not to disclose details of her illness.
In a heartfelt tribute on the fundraising page, her family described Jan as “a gentle soul” whose love was quiet but deep, leaving a lasting impression on those who knew her. They added that her memory feels like a soft guiding light for the days ahead and said that while her loss has left an “unimaginable ache,” they take comfort in believing she is now at peace, “surrounded by light and grace.”
Jan is survived by her mother, Jeanette, her father, Chito, and her older sister, Fatima.
In a statement shared on Thursday, Dec. 11, AFP said its Manila bureau and the entire AFP Fact Check team are “heartbroken” over her death.
The organization noted that Jan joined AFP in 2023 as a digital investigation journalist based in Manila and was the youngest member of the bureau. Before joining AFP, she studied journalism at the University of the Philippines Diliman and worked with Tsek.ph, a collaborative fact-checking initiative.
“Jan will be remembered for her warmth, her kindness and her bright, infectious smile,” the statement said. The agency also highlighted the impact of her work, citing her meticulous reporting on disinformation in the Philippines — work that earned her the top prize at this year’s Global Fact-Checking Summit. AFP offered its deepest condolences to her family and loved ones and said it is doing everything possible to support those closest to her, as well as colleagues in the Manila bureau and the wider fact-check team.
Among her fact-checking work, Jan helped debunk misleading content that repurposed clips from older earthquakes to falsely represent the strength of a Sept. 30 quake in the Philippines. She also corrected videos circulating online that claimed to show Philippine anti-corruption protests but were actually footage from demonstrations in Sri Lanka and Nepal.
On her own page, Jan described herself as being “passionate about equipping the public with strong verification skills, one story at a time,” reflecting her commitment to helping people navigate misinformation.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Dec. 10, the Filipino online news outlet Rappler also paid tribute to Jan, who had previously interned there with the business and economics team. “Rappler extends its deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Ma. Jan Felicia D. Cuyco. We join them in mourning her passing and remembering her with respect and gratitude,” the outlet wrote.
A funeral service for Jan is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 13, according to an announcement shared by her sister, Fatima.
