with Deputy Defense Minister Carmelo Barbero to obtain medical attention for his son. On August 28, 1976, Ditto was released from prison. Death and legacy After his release, Ditto re-enrolled at the University of the Philippines and tried to keep a low profile. However, his asthma had been aggravated by his detention, and he would regularly endure painful and severe attacks. On November 11, 1977, a little over a year after his release, the 27-year-old Ditto was found dead on his bedroom floor after suffering a heart attack. Two weeks after Ditto's death, the Collegian published an issue where emblazoned on the cover were the words "Para sa iyo, Ditto Sarmiento, sa iyong paglilingkod sa mag-aaral at sambayanan." ("To you, Ditto Sarmiento, for your service to the studentry and the Filipino people.") The cover also featured an outline of the U.P. Oblation with its right hand raised in a fist, having broken free from chains. The University would award a posthumous degree to Ditto in 1978. After Ditto's death, his father intensified his participation in the political opposition against the Marcos government, and would himself be detained in 1979 after publishing a book critical of the regime. Abraham Sarmiento Sr. would be appointed to the Supreme Court of the Philippines after the ousting of the Marcos Government. In 1992, Ditto was listed as among "65 Martyrs" who were enshrined in the Wall of Remembrance at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani, a monument to victims and heroes of martial law located at Quezon Avenue in Quezon City. Notes References External links 1950 births 1977 deaths People from Santa Mesa Filipino democracy activists Filipino journalists Alternative journalists Ateneo de Manila University alumni University of the Philippines Diliman alumni Individuals honored at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Marcos martial law victims 20th-century journalists Philippine Collegian editors