INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Members of the House of Representatives led by Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez have expressed sympathies to the family of veteran broadcaster Mike Enriquez, who died on Tuesday.
In a statement, Romualdez said Philippine journalism lost a broadcasting giant and that Enriquez’s death leaves a void in the industry.
“The industry and media network GMA-7 have just lost a broadcasting giant. The death of Mike Enriquez has left a void in the industry and in his beloved network his colleagues would struggle to fill. His absence will be felt for a long time,” Romualdez said Wednesday.
The House leader also said Enriquez was a crusader against corruption and abuses, even calling him “a champion of the oppressed.”
READ: Veteran broadcaster Mike Enriquez dies at 71
“He was a champion of the oppressed, the abused. His docudrama ‘Imbestigador’ was his vehicle for exposing corruption and mischief. His now famous punchline ‘Hindi kita tatantanan!’ sent an ominous warning to wayward and abusive public officials, policemen, other public servants, and other citizens with influence,” Romualdez noted.
“I and my colleagues in the House extend our sincerest condolences to Mr. Enriquez’s family, loved ones, his media colleagues, and those who loved him. Our prayers and thoughts are with them at this most difficult time,” he added.
House Committee on appropriations chairperson and Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co said the media suffered a big blow with Enriquez’ death, as his voice was synonymous with “reliability and trustworthiness.”
“With a career spanning decades, Mike Enriquez’s dedication, passion, and unwavering commitment to delivering accurate and impactful news has left an indelible mark on the industry,” Co said.
“Mike’s voice became synonymous with reliability and trustworthiness. He had a unique ability to connect with his audience, making complex issues understandable and relatable to people from all walks of life. Malaking kawalan sa Philippine Media ang paglisan ni Mike Enriquez. Nakikiramay ako sa mga naiwan niyang mahal sa buhay,” he added.
(Enriquez’ death is a big blow to Philippine media. I sympathize with the relatives he left behind.)
Deputy Speaker and Batangas 6th District Rep. Ralph Recto meanwhile said that Enriquez was an old school journalist who always strived to be fair.
“His delivery of news and opinions on matters that hurt the people, in his trademark staccato fashion, was like the rapid fire demolition of excuses and alibis of the guilty,” Recto said.
“He was an old school journalist who was fair in reportage and fearless in his opinions with facts, and not fake news, as his basis and guide,” he added.
Party-list representatives Howard Guintu (Pinuno), Alfred delos Santos (Probinsyano), and Rodolfo Ordanes (Senior Citizens) also expressed their grief over Enriquez’s death.
Guintu said: “Mike Enriquez was a household name with voice that was larger than life. For many, his voice was synonymous with trustworthy news, and though we would no longer hear his iconic voice over the airwaves, his legacy as a broadcast journalist will live on and forever be immortalized in the annals of Philippine journalism.”
READ: Mike Enriquez, ‘Imbestigador’ of TV and radio; 71
Delos Santos, meanwhile, said: “Millions of Filipinos have been missing Mike Enriquez’s booming voice for months now. They will miss him even more now that he has passed on. Mike Enriquez was a champion of the poor and ordinary people without voices in society.”
For Ordanes, illness may have claimed Enriquez’s “vibrant and accomplished life, but his legacy and his resounding voice will reverberate in our memories, through history, and on the internet.”
“Thanks to the internet videos of the newscasts he anchored and public affairs programs he hosted, future generations will still hear his booming voice and the astute journalist’s mind behind that voice,” he added.
The passing of Enriquez was announced by his colleagues during the August 29 edition of GMA News’ 24 Oras – a primetime news program that he used to anchor for almost two decades.
READ: Bongbong Marcos pays tribute to Mike Enriquez: ‘A pillar in our broadcasting industry’
He was 71.
The network has not mentioned any cause of death, but Enriquez have been reported to be fighting several health issues that forced him to take a medical leave.
He was also a victim of death rumors in the past, after his hospitalization last December 2021 to undergo kidney transplant. However, other broadcasters and Enriquez himself dispelled the rumors, and he eventually returned to television for GMA News’ coverage of the 2022 national elections.