THE VIEW FROM RIZAL
Before there were social media influencers, there were AM radio broadcasters, newscasters, and commentators. The latter ruled the airwaves until about the late 1990s before social media captured our attention and became our chief source of entertainment, news, and socio-political views.
One of these “greats” who loomed larger than life passed away recently. Miguel “Mike” Enriquez of the classic “excuse me po” and “hindi ka naming tatantanan” fame. He had a voice and speaking style which made it easily recognizable, distinguishable, and memorable. More, his was a voice that the public trusted and anticipated as they dressed up and drove or commuted to work.
We chanced upon the blogsite of a former broadcast executive and colleague of Mike Enriquez. His friend, lawyer Dan de Padua, who once headed the news department of the station he worked for, wrote:
“He (Mike Enriquez) was larger than life – he gave himself a persona that was much bigger than reality. His stylized delivery and fearless commentary changed the face of news. He put his personal stamp on newscasting in a way that no one else has done. Love him or hate him you watched him.
He worked hard at keeping his audience. When he and I used to fly out to the provinces to visit regional stations, his first stop on arriving in any city was the public market to find out what people were listening to.
Mike demanded that people around him do their best, and he was passionate about getting the news right. Sometimes this could make him difficult. I’d visit him before the newscast to remind him that the entire newsroom was working 24 hours, seven days a week. He knew the cameramen and the drivers as well as the reporters, writers, and producers. He was big, but he took care of the small guy.”
To the listening public, Mike Enriquez was among the handful of current broadcasters whom they felt they could run to when they were aggrieved, oppressed, or disadvantaged. He was a source of credible news – a commodity that became so rare and precious in the era of fake news. He conveyed information to a broad audience which we felt had gone through the serious process of news gathering, verification, and editing, as well as the vetting of news sources.
Yes, the way good news reporting had been done.
This kind of news and news reporting became even more important to us in times of natural and man-made calamities where Mike Enriquez’ coverage on the field stood out and gave us the sense of comfort that we are being kept abreast with information we can believe in.
Mike Enriquez comes from that revered tradition and from a long line of credible newscasters and broadcast commentators who have gone to the great beyond.
The list includes the late fun-and-famous Johnny de Leon who kept Filipinos of the 1960s updated with the latest news through his morning and afternoon programs. There was Rafael “Paeng” Yabut who our elders recall as a debonair radio broadcaster whose stinging commentaries on politics were both hated and feared by those who wielded power.
Earlier, there was former Manila Mayor Arsenio Lacson, who our elders recall was nicknamed “arsenic” because of the stinging quality of his political commentaries. He was so influential that a former Philippine president ordered his station to get him off the air, an incident that sparked an international controversy and discussions on freedom of the press.
On that list are Tina Monzon-Palma, Pastor Paul Lacanilao and the late Bong Lapira, Bobby Guanzon, Jose Mari Velez, Frankie Evangelista, and Harry Gasser. There was also Angelo Castro, Jr. who formed a powerhouse newscast tandem with Senator Loren Legarda before the latter joined the legislature. Our elders recall the outstanding voices of these revered newscasters whose evening reports gave them a good preview of what would appear in newspapers the following day.
Also, in that roster the late Helen Vela, the quintessential “ate” of the public who brought her soothing, assuring voice to the field of radio and television newscasting. All of them delivered the evening news soberly, sans fanfare. They left it to us to determine what our emotional response would be to the day’s events.
We also remember the late Joe Taruc whose voice was also a familiar morning fare throughout the country, given the wide reach of the radio station he worked for and managed for decades. He was the sober counterpart of the fiery Luis Beltran in the post-EDSA revolution DZRH.
The tradition of credible news reporting and newscasting continues to be nurtured by the likes of former Vice President Noli de Castro, Mel Tiangco, Jessica Soho, Vicky Morales, and Alvin Elchico, among others. The list is definitely incomplete. Suffice it to say that the legacy of the likes of Mike Enriquez will continue to be passed on to succeeding generations of broadcast journalists on whom we depend for news we can believe and trust.
Providing the public with up-to-date, timely, and credible news is outstanding public service.
We factor that kind of information into the decisions we make, including those that affect our survival and our lives in general. As we join the public in saying goodbye to a revered newscaster, we salute and thank those who came before Mike Enriquez and those who will keep the flames alive for the cause of credible news. (Email: [email protected])