Former PSC, PATAFA chief Philip Juico dies at 78
SHAKEY’S Super League CEO Philip Ella Juico (middle) launches their 2022 Collegiate Pre-Season Championship yesterday at the Philippine Sports Commission. Joining him are SSL president and COO Dr. Ian Laurel (left) and Shakey’s president Vicente Gregorio. Photo by Rio Deluvio
Former Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman and Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) president Philip Ella Juico passed away on Saturday. He was 78.
His son, Quezon City first district representative Joseph Juico, announced his father’s death on social media Sunday, saying the former sports official had been battling cancer since 2022.
“It is with a heavy heart that I share the passing of my beloved father, Philip ‘Popoy’ Ella Juico, who peacefully joined our Creator at 8:18 PM on 31 October 2026,” the younger Juico said.
“After courageously battling cancer since 2022, my Papa passed away peacefully in his sleep. While our hearts are filled with sadness, we find comfort in knowing that he is finally free from pain and suffering and is now resting in God’s loving embrace.”
Juico served as secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform from 1987 to 1989 before becoming the fourth chairman of the PSC, holding the post from 1996 to 1998.
He led PATAFA from 2015 to 2022 and also served as vice president and chairman of the School and Youth Commission of the Asian Athletics Association.
Juico was among the founders of the Philippine Super Liga in 2013 and the Shakey’s Super League in 2022.