Philippines, 18 Sep 2025
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


Roy Acosta, hidden hero of Philippine journalism


PhilBoxing.com


THE journalist Rosauro ?Roy? Acosta, who passed away on Aug. 4 at age 75, was a competent, hard-working newsman who tackled his job with utmost dedication. He was tireless and zealous both out in the news field and in the editorial room.

He was my first editor. He took me in straight from college in 1965 as a rookie reporter with the dzHP news station. It was a bold, blind gamble.

The announcement of his death caught many by surprise.

**

Roy Acosta rose to become managing editor of the Inquirer (1987-91), before moving on as editor of the BusinessMirror, which he would lead to bag back-to-back business paper of the year awards.

?It?s terrible, I never thought he was sick,? said veteran sports editor Ding Marcelo, who left the Manila Bulletin earlier in the year after a lengthy sterling stint. Both Roy and Ding were regular after-work habitu?s of the Peter Lee Hong Kong Tea House on Mabini St. Peter Lee was himself a big Roy Acosta fan.
An Inquirer report on Sunday said Roy expired at the Philippine Heart Center after a lingering illness. His loving wife Carmelita said Roy had been in the ICU, where he struggled against pulmonary complications for nearly two weeks. She said Roy had quit smoking in 1988 yet.

**

A guy most appalled was the premier artist Danilo Dalena, who broke the news of Roy?s passing to this reporter on Sunday. Dalena knew Roy from the old UST days at the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters. We all used to sip cheap iced ginebra-and-coke, dreaming in the dimly lit backroom of a quaint sari-sari store owned by the well-loved Batanguena grandma Aleng Mameng, together with other aspirant artists, student writers and napkin poets. Roy, an ex-seminarian from Ilocos, published full-hearted love poems (to Carmelita) in the Blue Quill, the Philets college organ. He adored TS Elliot, James Agee, and devoured the tales of Somerset Maugham, counting as his favorite Moon and Sixpence, a fictional biography of the artist Paul Gauguin.

Anyway, if Roy Acosta?s name would not ring a bell among most readers, it?s because the man had always preferred to function, raw and true, behind the scenes. It won?t be an exaggeration to say he had also helped the Inquirer through some trying periods.

**

Roy joined dzHp in 1964, as news writer, reporter and announcer. He worked with the likes of Joe Cantada, Jose Mari Velez, Harry Gasser, Milt Alingod, Ronnie Nathanielsz and Edward Tipton, under the great Dick Taylor.

Roy got his first foreign assignment when he was sent to cover the stint of the Philcag engineering forces in Vietnam, under former President Fidel Ramos, in 1965.

**

He was recipient of many awards, and had many invaluable contributions to the cause of Philippine journalism. But in my memory, what stands out is his angry unbending stance in 1987, when he threatened to resign from the National Press Club board after the NPC was surreptitiously commissioned by Malacanang to be an arm of the national election count for the presidential polls that pitted Ferdinand Marcos against Corazon Aquino.
Roy gallantly asked other board members, including this reporter, to protest, stand up against the impending cheating menace. He was successful. The NPC?s under-the-table pact with Malacanang was rescinded.

It was a heroic act that had never been told before. Roy had one last wish: no teary eulogies, no fancy farewells. Hum him a rainy Sinatra tune, if you may.

Rest in well-deserved peace, Lakay.


Click here to view a list of other articles written by Recah Trinidad.


Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • “Thrilla” card takes shape
    By Joaquin Henson, , Thu, 18 Sep 2025
  • Wishing Best to Jayson Vayson in his World Title Challenge!
    By Carlos Costa, , Thu, 18 Sep 2025
  • Vayson aims to make history
    By Joaquin Henson, , Thu, 18 Sep 2025
  • KAIPO GALLEGOS TRAINING CAMP NOTES
    , Thu, 18 Sep 2025
  • Day Two of 2025 USA Boxing National Open Delivers 108 Action-Packed Bouts in Tulsa
    , Thu, 18 Sep 2025
  • Bryce Mills Boxes James Bernadin At del Lago Resort & Casino On Thursday, Oct. 30, in Waterloo, NY
    , Thu, 18 Sep 2025
  • Caribbean Clash Returns Friday, November 7th at Gulfstream Park Casino in Hallandale, Florida
    , Thu, 18 Sep 2025
  • VM Sotto, City Council Recognize GM Joey Antonio
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Thu, 18 Sep 2025
  • Larida is Southern Coach of the Year
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Thu, 18 Sep 2025
  • D.C. Knockout Artist Scooter Davis Signs Promotional Contract with Top Rank
    , Thu, 18 Sep 2025
  • THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 15 SEPTEMBER 2025: Crawford Snatches Canelo's Undisputed Crown at 168 Lbs; Inoue Defeats Akhmadliev to Retain 4 Superbantam Belts; Crocker Outpoints Donovan
    By Eric Armit, , Wed, 17 Sep 2025
  • TICKET NEWS: EUBANK JR-BENN II ON SALE FROM THIS WEDNESDAY
    , Wed, 17 Sep 2025
  • “Night of Champions” Returns to Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando on September 19
    , Wed, 17 Sep 2025
  • Canelo-Crawford: The Consolidation of Boxing’s New Commercial Empire
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Wed, 17 Sep 2025
  • A New Era for Boxing: Canelo vs. Crawford Shatters Global Viewership Records on Netflix
    By Dong Secuya, , Wed, 17 Sep 2025
  • Crawford Not the First Lightweight to Distinguish Himself at Super Middleweight
    By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Wed, 17 Sep 2025
  • Kurt Scoby and Josh Popper Headline Boxing Insider Card September 19 in Times Square
    , Wed, 17 Sep 2025
  • Green and Gold 2025: Amateur Boxing’s International Gathering in Bolivia
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Wed, 17 Sep 2025
  • Pakistan's Sameer Khan Set to Battle for UBO Youth World Title in Brico Santig’s Sep 27 Show in Thailand
    By Carlos Costa, , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • SAMBO Pilipinas is Southern NSA of the Year 2025
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • Kingsley “The Black Lion” Ibeh To headline historic “Legacy Nights” Inaugural Pro Boxing event in El Salvador
    , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • Smarts over power
    By Joaquin Henson, , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • HALL OF FAME FLIES FLAGS AT HALF-STAFF FOR TWO-DIVISION CHAMPION RICKY HATTON
    , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • Kazakhstan tops the medal table at the inaugural World Boxing Championships 2025 thanks to victory in the final bout of the competition
    , Tue, 16 Sep 2025
  • THRILLA IN MANILA GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY 13: JOE FRAZIER’S HUMBLE BEGINNINGS AS AN AMATEUR FIGHTER
    By Maloney L. Samaco, , Mon, 15 Sep 2025




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2025 philboxing.com.