Butch del Castillo, veteran scribe; 73

MANILA, Philippines—Veteran newspaperman, columnist and radio broadcaster Romeo “Butch” del Castillo died on Friday after a long battle with colon cancer. He was 73.

Known for his incisive and in-depth knowledge of reportage and the day-to-day business of running a publication, Del Castillo served as president of the National Press Club of the Philippines (NPC) in 1998. He was also a member of the Samahang Plaridel.

During his tenure as NPC president, Del Castillo was instrumental in establishing a scholarship fund for children of journalists slain in the line of duty.

Starting as a beat reporter for the premartial law Manila Times, Del Castillo honed his pen as a journalist over nearly four decades.   He later moved to The Times Journal and then to The Evening Post as business editor. He also joined The Manila Standard, where he rose to the post of managing editor, before moving to the ALC Group of Companies as the editorial board chair of the Philippine Graphic magazine.

He also hosted the program “Business is our Business” over AM radio station dwIZ. Bilingual in his writing, Del Castillo maintained a regular column, “Omerta,” for the Business Mirror and the Pilipino Mirror.

Beyond his reportage and incisive news analysis, particularly in the business section and for matters political, Del Castillo trained young journalists, teaching them the ropes in his trademark no-nonsense manner.

Del Castillo leaves behind a legacy of fairness and accuracy in his reportage while at the same time maintaining a hard-hitting stance in his writing.

He was cremated yesterday. Wake is at Christ the King Parish (Greenmeadows). Interment will be on Monday at Manila Memorial Park in Sucat, Parañaque City.