Bad news on the doorstep arrived last Wednesday.
Lito Tacujan, former sports editor of the Philippine Star, passed away due to cardiac arrest in Canlubang, Laguna. He was 79.
“Tacu J” to the sportswriting fraternity, Sir Lito had been battling Parkinson’s for some time but this didn’t keep him from playing as much golf as he loved to.
First with a cane, later in a wheelchair, he also made it a point to attend the Philippine Sportswriters Association Awards.
He was present during the PBA’s Golden Anniversary celebration in April last year. And just in February, we even shared the same table at the PSA Awards when Carlos Yulo and Alex Eala were named co-Athletes of the Year.
Sir Lito was everywhere, despite his condition. That’s why news of his passing came as a jolt.
We had just been with him that evening. During a break in the ceremony, I stood up and was headed out of the ballroom when I heard a firm voice call my name.
I turned around. “San ka punta?” Sir Lito asked, already halfway up from his seat, a scowl on his face.
Outside, I replied. “Sama ako!” he said.
Nelson Beltran, his wedding godson and now the Philippine Star sports editor, quickly stood up. Together, we escorted sir Lito out into the hallway—on foot. The problem was, we couldn’t find where his companion had parked his wheelchair.
Frantically, I searched the reception area for the electric device, finally locating it behind a sponsor’s booth.
Sir Lito gratefully took his seat. Moments later, more than a dozen sportswriters gathered around him for a photo.
I only saw that picture a couple of days ago on Facebook. It’s hard to accept that the smiling man at the center of that group is no longer with us.
Rey Bancod, former sports editor at Tempo, later confirmed that sir Lito had briefly worked at the Manila Bulletin tabloid in the mid-’80s, though I only vaguely recall that.
What I remember was covering the Busan Asian Games with him in 2002—the year South Korea’s Lee Sang-min broke Filipino hearts with a buzzer-beating three in the men’s basketball semifinals.
I also remember his advice—how to frame stories, how to sharpen columns.
For reasons I never quite understood, sir Lito took kindly to me and, in many ways, took me under his wing. He would admonish me to stop referencing Mario Puzo’s ‘The Godfather’ in my articles, read David Halberstam, and urged me not to shy away from tackling big sports issues.
For that—and for all the memories—I’m forever grateful.
I’ve had some success with the first, by the way. Still working on the second.
Farewell, sir Tacu J.
