Mike Enriquez
MANILA, Philippines — Veteran broadcaster Mike Enriquez, whose unmistakable booming voice delivered the news on prime time and whose TV and radio shows ran after crooks and the crooked for decades, has died, GMA Network announced on Tuesday night.
He was 71.
An emotional Mel Tiangco, Enriquez’s longtime colleague, confirmed his passing as she read a statement by the network in the closing seconds of “24 Oras,” GMA’s flagship newscast where the newsman had served as anchor for several years.
“His dedication to the industry will serve as an inspiration to all,” the statement read. “We will pray for the eternal repose of our beloved Kapuso.”
“In his over 50 years in the industry, there is no denying his mark and legacy in the work that he loved with his whole heart,” Tiangco added.
Enriquez is survived by his wife, Lizabeth “Baby” Yumping.
Apart from his duties as a news anchor, Enriquez also hosted the long-running public affairs program, “Imbestigador.” He also served as president of RGMA Network Inc. and GMA Network’s senior vice president and consultant for radio operations.
Born Miguel Castro Enriquez, the self-styled “Imbestigador ng Bayan” was a huge name in both radio and television, having popularized the catchphrase: “Hindi namin kayo tatantanan [We will not let you off].”
He began his career as a staff announcer for the Manila Broadcasting Co. when he was still a 19-year-old student at De La Salle University.
From there, Enriquez worked various stints in radio: as a reporter, editor, program director, and even vice president for Radio Mindanao Network (RMN) until 1994.
That year, he said in a 2007 interview for Adobo Magazine, GMA asked him if he would like to build his own radio network.
So Enriquez left RMN, thinking only about creating a radio empire, unaware that the shift would eventually make him a permanent fixture on the boob tube.