Tacujan, former STAR sports chief, 79
A pall of gloom descended on the Philippine sportswriting community with the passing of one of its shining lights.
Juanito “Lito” Tacujan, sports editor par excellence, wordsmith, leader, father, mentor, friend, died of cardiac arrest on Wednesday in Canlubang, Laguna.
He was 79.
Tacujan is survived by his wife, Catalina, children Jose Maria Tacujan, Juan Luis Tacujan, Maria Kristina Ayala and Michael Roy Ayala, Karina Michaela Angeles and Chippy Angeles and Samuel Julian Tacujan, and also by grandchildren Miguel Anton Ayala, Natalie Isobel Tacujan, Miko Joaquin Ayala and Audrina Hope Angeles.
His remains lie in state at Peace Chapel of Heaven’s Memorial Gardens in Binan. Internment is on March 24, with viewing set for March 20 to March 23.
Tacujan oversaw the sports section of The Philippine STAR for 32 years, as the paper covered some of the greatest events in sports from 1986 to 2018.
Under Tacujan, the STAR flourished with a style and language that mixed creativity with being informative.
He also served as president of the Philippine Sportswriters Association, sharing his leadership and expertise with colleagues, including young, aspiring sports journalists.
A graduate of the University of Santo Tomas, Tacujan was among the first recipients of the UST AB Gantimpala Awards in 2010. He was also honored as an outstanding alumnus of the Faculty of Arts and Letters (Philosophy and Letters during his college years).
In 2019, Tacujan was honored by the PSA with the Lifetime Achievement Award for sports journalism.
The sportswriting maestro, who played golf with the same passion he had for his reporting, shared his excellent work in the book “Cheers and Tears: View from the press box and other stories,” published in 2022.
Tacujan spent his retirement years in his beloved hometown of Canlubang, the sports hub in Laguna that nurtured his love for sports and drive for excellence.
“Growing up in a milieu of sporting excellence in a quaint little town in Laguna served as a great boost in my desire to pursue a career in journalism, particularly in sports writing,” he wrote in the book’s introduction.
