Words by Julienne Loreto • August 28, 2026

Non-fiction • News

For the past few months, I wondered where my friend Ate Divine was. The last time we talked was on June 7. The very last message she’d sent me was about this Kasing2 article about BINI’s Colet, the intro for which she co-authored under her nom de plume Kitty Grace. On Instagram, I told her I was finalizing the piece. She replied, “thanks for updating me and for the trust na din!”

I published the article on June 13. I immediately sent the link to her, knowing how excited she had been. I had no idea that on June 7, a land cruiser in Qatar, where she worked, ran over her. She spent three days in the hospital fighting. On the 10th, three days before she could even see her beautiful words published, she was dead at 33 years old, far too young.

“Kitty Grace is an Ilonggo nurse and indie novelist currently based in West Asia,” her author bio reads. She preferred this short description of herself. But – pasayloa ko, Ate Divine – I want to talk about the other things that I remember her as, too. She was intellectually curious and always loved to learn new things. She was a skilled writer, but also a voracious reader who couldn’t get enough of fanfics and books.

You could picture her lovely smile every time she talked. She was full of energy. She was so incredibly kind and empathetic, but stood up for what she believed in. Her passion for the people and media that she enjoyed was pure. Again, she was just 33. She had so much zeal for life and deserved better than this cruel, sudden end.

Magpahilayo kita, Ate Divine.