Filipino Artist CJ de Silva-Ong Passes Away at 36
Filipino artist Cj de Silva-Ong passed away on Tuesday morning, June 18, at 10:45 a.m., after suffering two strokes. This was confirmed by her husband, musician and writer Wincy Ong, through a public social media post on Wednesday morning. She would've turned 37 on August 1.
"She was a loving wife to me, a loving cat-mom to our cats Andres and Max, and a loving daughter to her parents and uncle," her husband's tribute said.
De Silva had been in the ICU after suffering from an aneurysm on the morning of June 4. She went through a couple of surgical procedures and "fought to the very end."
Cj de Silva-Ong: The Promil Gifted Child
Kids who grew up in the '90s probably know de Silva as one of the young personalities featured in the milk formula brand Promil's "The Gifted Child" TV commercials. The series put the spotlight on children who exhibited special skills and interests in the arts and sciences. De Silva's TVC showed clips of her painting a multitude of mother-and-child images on a huge canvas on the floor. The young painter was on her knees, enjoying every stroke of the brush while wearing white overalls covered in splashes of paint.
De Silva completed a Fine Arts - Visual Communication degree from the University of the Philippines, where she graduated magna cum laude in 2008. After graduation, she worked in advertising and later held the position of executive creative director at TBWA\ Santiago Mangada Puno. It's an "industry she loved so much," according to Ong.
Some of the advertising projects she worked on included Dolfenal's "Love" TVC (dir. Erik Matti, 2009); Manikako's "A Toy Love Story That Will Make You Cry," which bagged the Philippines' first Webby in 2013; and Nissan's "The Leaf Orchestra," which showcased an ensemble of rare leaf musicians, including National Artist Levi Celerio. De Silva's advertising work has been recognized in local and international industry shows, such as Cannes Lion, AdFest, One Show, and more. She was also the first Filipina to be selected as a judge for the Cannes Young Lions Design Competition in 2023.
Long after her Promil commercial, de Silva continued painting and illustrating. She illustrated two children's books: Palanca Award-winning Ang Ikaklit Sa Aming Hardin (2012, Publikasyong Twamkittens) by Bernadette Neri and Gumagapang, Lumulukso, Lumilipad: Bugtong Sa Mga Kulisap (2017, Vibal Group) by Eugene Evasco; and comedy book Stupid Is Forever (2014, ABS-CBN Publishing) by the late Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago. She also worked on the cover design of The Itchyworms' album After All This Time.
De Silva co-hosted the podcast entitled Telebabad Tapes with her husband. "In Telebabad Tapes, wife and husband Cj and Wincy relive their '90s kids ways and get back into lost art of the telebabad (hours-long phone conversations). Each episode will start with a pop culture item such as a movie or a song, then the discussion will move into real-life topics related to the said item. A fun, breezy, conversational listen best-suited for rainy days and weekends spent in the Great Indoors," the Spotify description reads. It had 131 episodes.
Aside from being a visual artist, her husband revealed in one of his posts that de Silva is a "terrific singer." The couple wrote a song together in 2023 titled "Diliman," where the couple would spend their Saturdays in 2010.
"Most of you would remember her as a Promil Gifted Child in those commercials in the Nineties, but from the many people who visited the hospital or sent in a message or two, I learned that Cj was a gift herself to the people who came to know her.
Behind that tough and take-charge person you may know is such a sweet, caring girl. I will always remember her for the kindness she brought to people," her husband said in his post.
De Silva's wake is from June 20 to June 22 at the Heritage Park in Taguig, while the cremation service is scheduled for June 23.
"She always told me she'd wanted a funeral that was fun and not so serious. Let's celebrate her 36 amazing years here on this planet by filling it with things that made her happy—music, conversations, coffee, and good food," Ong added.
