Mike Enriquez

Mike Enriquez
Mike Enriquez in 2016, outside White Plains Subdivision in Quezon City
Born	Miguel Castro Enriquez (1951-09-29) September 29, 1951 Santa Ana, Manila
Nationality	Filipino
Other names	"Baby Michael" or "Baby Mike" (names as a DJ) "Mr. Saksi"
Occupation	radio and television newscaster

Mike Enriquez (born Miguel Castro Enriquez on September 29, 1951 in Santa Ana, Manila), is a popular TV and radio newscaster in the Philippines. He is also the Senior Vice-President for radio of GMA Network, and president of the network's regional and radio subsidiary, RGMA Network Inc.

Career

He started his career in broadcasting as a staff announcer at the Manila Broadcasting Company in 1969. It began when he visited a friend in that company and accidentally discovered his interest in radio.^[1] He has since worked in various positions, as a broadcast reporter, a news editor, program director, and station manager, until he became manager of a medium-sized radio network. He also had stints in other radio networks such as Freedom Broadcasting Radio Network and Radio Mindanao Network (RMN), where he became vice president for the company. He was the man behind the huge success of DWKC 93.9, which stayed in the number 1 spot for so many years before he left in 1995. He is the voice behind the Mellow Touch 94.7 signature and introduction.^[1] He also became a disc jockey known as "Baby Michael" and played a disc jockey in Andrew E.'s 1992 movie Mahirap ang Maging Pogi (It's Not Easy Being Handsome).

In 1995, after leaving RMN, Enriquez attended a planning for male news anchoring, which turned out to be GMA Network's election coverage entitled "Decision '95".^[2] Near the deadlines, the auditions were unable to find any male anchors; Enriquez was the last person to be there. They told to him "Ikaw, gusto mag-anchor?", but he refused, joked on saying that his face never fits the coverage, saying it's up to the network to do the decision.

He was ready, but nervous, scared and cold, his first part was Karen Davila. As the morning slot begins, Enriquez's first words on TV were "Ito po ang Decision '95, Operation: Bantay Boto, dito lamang po sa GMA".

Months later, the network executives called for him to come back; they told him that he would anchor a 15-minute newscast, in the early evening slot, together with Davila, saying to make the news delivery fast, aside being delayed. The radio-style newscast, entitled Saksi: GMA Headline Balita premiered on October 2, 1995.

In June 1998, Enriquez left Saksi to anchor the late-night newscast GMA Network News with Vicky Morales. Since his first months on Network News, they decided to change the language to "Taglish", and later, changed to Filipino.

In January 1999, Enriquez returned to radio via Super Radyo DZBB, with his new program based on his former newscast, Saksi sa Dobol B.

He left the newscast with Morales in July 28, to return to Saksi, which later in July 2002 became a late-night newscast.

In August 2000, GMA gave Enriquez a public affairs program entitled Imbestigador; he was later named "Imbestigador ng Bayan".

During the US-Iraq conflict in 2003, Enriquez was assigned to go there with other GMA News teams, where his part would join other international news agencies. In some other times, at Baghdad, Enriquez experienced a bombing near the hotel he was staying at.^[3]

On March 12, 2004, Enriquez left Saksi to re-join Frontpage anchor Mel Tiangco in GMA's newest primetime newscast "24 Oras".

He has been named as one of the most child-friendly personalities by the Southeast Asian Foundation for Children and thrice consecutively by the Anak TV Seal awards.^[4]

Personal life

Enriquez is the eldest of three children.^[5] He uses the term "destructive to a certain extent" to describe his curiosity-filled, active childhood.^[5]

He had always been very active in church, and used to be an altar boy with an ambition to be a Franciscan priest.^[6] However, his parents refused to sign a consent sheet that would allow him to stay at the seminary until he became a priest.^[6]

Instead, he was enrolled at De La Salle College (now De La Salle University-Manila), taking up AB Liberal Arts in Commerce.^[7] Enriquez finished his degree in 1973 and now teaches in Broadcast Management. He is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of La Salle Green Hills and acts as the Treasurer and Chairman of its Finance Committee.

Mike has been married to Lizabeth "Baby" Yumping for twenty-nine years, but they have no children.

He has battled illnesses such as diabetes, asthma and hypertension.

Career timeline

• 1969: Manila Broadcasting Company
• 1978–1995: WKC FM 93.9
• 1995–present: GMA Network

Television

References