Glaiza de Castro honors ’showbiz father’ Ricky Davao after eerie coincidence on his death

The actress reveals a mysterious coincidence that marked the passing of her beloved “showbiz father.”

“I consider him as my father in showbiz,” said actress Glaiza de Castro as she paid tribute to the late actor-director Ricky Davao, whom she last worked with in Carl Papa’s animated docu “58th.”

Davao plays Reynaldo “Bebot” Momay, the photojournalist whose body was never recovered following the 2009 Maguindanao massacre. The film centers on Momay’s daughter, Reynafe (played by De Castro), in her relentless, decade-long legal battle for her father to be officially recognized as the 58th victim.

De Castro became emotional during the local premiere of “58th” at the 2026 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival as she paused to honor Davao.

The actress shared that working on “58th” alongside “Sang’gre” and “Sinagtala” made their time together particularly special. She fondly recalled Davao as “so jolly” on set and remembered small moments they shared, including a snack he introduced to her that she still eats today.

One memory stood out in particular: Davao gave her a belt—a trick he picked up from his theater days to help secure a lapel microphone. 

Glaiza spent a long time searching for the misplaced belt, only to receive the news of the veteran actor’s passing on the very day she finally found it.

“Oh my God,” she recalled, holding back tears.

Davao’s daughter, Rikkie Mae, also recently shared with De Castro that she was one of her father’s favorite co-stars.

“Hindi lang siya co-actor for me. Parang siya ang natuturing kong tatay ko sa showbiz,” De Castro said.

The veteran actor and director passed away on May 1, 2025, at the age of 63 following a battle with cancer.

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