Leonides Fulgueras Tungohan passed away unexpectedly in his sleep on June 30, 2024 at the age of 73 years. Born on December 7, 1951, in Tanay, Rizal, in the Philippines, to Leon Ka Tungohan and Teresa Fulgueras Tungohan, Leo - or “Boyet” - loved music. He and his two older brothers, Ding and Lito, played in a combo band, singing songs by the Reycard brothers and, of course, the Beatles. Boyet was an excellent student, graduating as valedictorian in his elementary school graduation, a salutatorian in his high school, cum laude at the University of the Philippines where he finished with a bachelor’s in political science and passing the Philippine bar with flying colors upon graduating at the University of the Philippines College of Law.
Foregoing pursuing graduate studies in Political Science at the University of Michigan, where he received a scholarship offer, Boyet instead decided to forge a career in law in the Philippines. He first worked as an associate at the Siguion-Reyna Law Firm in Makati, Philippines, after which he became legal counsel for San Miguel Corporation. In San Miguel, Boyet’s career flourished. In 1995, he was promoted to be the head international legal counsel for San Miguel Corporation’s operations in Hong Kong and in China. With his wife, Arlene, and his children, Ethel and Johann, they relocated to Hong Kong. Much of his time was spent helping establish San Miguel’s expansion into China. In 1999, Boyet retired from San Miguel and immigrated to Canada. In 2005, he was called to the British Columbia Bar, and spent the next decades building his legal practice in Canada.
Beyond his professional pursuits, Boyet was an avid musician, philosopher, poet, and writer. He enjoyed reading books, particularly the works of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Mario Vargas Llosa, Saul Bellows, Nick Joaquin, F. Sionil Jose, and many others. He had the prodigious ability to play music by ear, and spent many hours playing his guitar and singing songs, most often from the Beatles. Most of all, Boyet was a family man. He had fun traveling with his family to far-flung places like China, England, and Italy, but also enjoyed quiet moments, watching Netflix Korean dramas with his wife, Arlene, playing and singing with his grandchildren, Winifred and Georgina, and attending his grandchildren’s many activities, including kindergarten graduations, dance and piano recitals.
He is survived by his wife, Arlene, his daughter, Ethel, his son, Johann, his grandchildren, Winifred and Georgina, his son-in-law, Wayne, and his sister, Elizabeth.
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be given in his name to organizations that widen access to justice and to legal aid, including to Parkdale Legal Community Services and to Pro-Bono Ontario.
Funeral Details
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St. Edwards The Confessor Catholic Church
75 Churchill Ave., North York, ON, CANADA, M2N 1Y8
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Saturday, 6 Jul 2024 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Funeral Mass
St. Edwards the Confessor Catholic Church
75 Churchill Ave., North York, ON, CANADA, M2N 1Y8
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Saturday, 6 Jul 2024 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Rception
York Cemetery & Funeral Centre
160 Beecroft, Toronto, ON, CANADA, M2N 5Z5
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