PCP mourns the passing of Romy Gacad

The Photojournalists’ Center of the Philippines deeply condoles with the family of Romeo Gacad, a titan of Philippine photojournalism, who passed away in Bangkok on October 30, aged 62, due to a years-long illness.

An honorary member of the PCP, Romy worked for the University of the Philippines’ newspaper where he was a Fine Arts major before working as a freelancer. He joined Agence France-Presse (AFP) as one of the founding members of the agency’s international photo service in 1985, during a period of political turmoil in the Philippines as the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos was nearing its end where Romy and other photojournalists of that generation forged their dedication to the profession.

Romy would later lead a truly colourful international career, being deployed to Iraq in 1991 and 2003 to cover conflict, to East Timor in 1999 for its independence struggle, to five summer Olympic Games, to Afghanistan for the 2001 US invasion, to Myanmar for the Rohingya exodus in 2015, and many more.

In 1989, he was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for his dramatic snap of Ben Johnson crossing the finish line in the 100m sprint of the Seoul Olympics. Romy reached the Pulitzer finals again in 2001 for his picture of an Afghan mujahideen silhouetted on top of a rock, which was famously featured by TIME magazine on its cover.

Romy was a quiet man who let his images do the talking. The epitome of grace under pressure, Romy always took calculated steps to execute the perfect picture which spoke the truth.

To his many friends and colleagues in the Philippines and abroad, Romy embodied traits and values that make a truly great photojournalist and individual. He is best remembered for his countless selfless acts that speak of his profound humanity – for the way he always offered a roll of film to anyone who needed it back then, for always worrying about the gear of others getting wet during rainy coverages, for never leaving anyone behind in a conflict situation, or for his generosity in mentoring younger photographers. Friends and colleagues always found warmth and comfort in his presence.

We mourn the passing of a truly great human being. We continue to celebrate Tata Romy's work and life.

“Ano bang puwede kong gawin para makatulong? Ano ba ang aking role as a photographer? (What can I do to help? What is my role as a photographer?) We take pictures—for whose pleasure?” – Romy Gacad