VETERAN sports journalist Ricardo “Recah” Trinidad, a Thomasian writer who built a decades-long career in the Philippine press, died on Sept. 13. He was 83.
His daughter-in-law, Nice Trinidad, announced his death in a Facebook post, saying he died peacefully in his sleep at about 6 a.m.
“Our hearts are heavy as we say goodbye to our beloved Dad, Ricardo ‘Recah’ Trinidad, who peacefully joined our Creator at around 6 a.m. today,” she wrote.
Trinidad had struggled with his health in recent months after suffering a heart attack in June, his daughter-in-law said.
“Rest peacefully, Dad, no more pain. You are home. Thank you for being our Dad, I love you. We love you! We will miss you forever,” she said.
Trinidad was the father of sports journalist and commentator Chino Trinidad, who died in 2024.
A UST journalism alumnus, Trinidad was already writing poetry and fiction during his college years, contributing to the Blue Quill and the Varsitarian, according to writer and former Varsitarian editor in chief Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo.
Trinidad was the lone winner of a University short-story writing contest in 1964 that had intended to award three winners.
Trinidad went on to build a decades-long career in sports journalism.
He worked for the Philippine Herald and Manila Times and also wrote for the Daily Express, Malaya, and Sports Flash. He became the first editor of Tempo in 1982.
Trinidad later wrote for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, where he became known for his long-running column “Bare Eye.”
The Philippine Sportswriters Association gave Trinidad a special citation in 2016 for his contributions to Philippine sports journalism. He received the Lifetime Award in Sports Journalism in 2023.
Trinidad also continued writing literary works. His “Tales from My Lost River” was published in Tomás, the official literary journal of the UST Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies.
His wake will be held at the Garden of Life Memorial Park in Mandaluyong.
Public viewing will begin on Sept. 16 at 1 p.m., while his remains are set to be cremated on Sept. 19 at 9 a.m. Tatyana Sabeerah R. Maranan
