Philippine broadcaster GMA announced Tuesday (August 29) the death of its veteran news presenter Mike Enriquez at the age of 71.

According to the network, aside from presenting its evening primetime TV news program, he also served as its senior vice president and consultant for radio operations and president of RGMA Network, for which he was credited for expanding the network's radio stations across the archipelago.

Prior to his death, Enriquez also presented the breakfast news program on DZBB, GMA's principal Manila station.

His death fell a month short of his 72nd birthday on September 29.

"He joined the broadcast industry in 1969 and then became part of GMA Network in 1995, wholeheartedly serving the Filipino audience for 54 years," the network statement said.

Enriquez took several medical leaves during the tail-end of his career due to health complications but swiftly returned to work. The last time he took a medical leave was in December 2021 in order to undergo a kidney transplant, but returned on the air by March 2022 in time for GMA's coverage of the Philippine general elections that year.

He was survived by his wife, Lizabeth "Baby" Yumping.

No cause of death was mentioned in the network's statement as of this report. However, he himself has been a victim of fake news saying he died in the years leading up to his eventual and official demise, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.

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Pillar of Filipino Broadcasting

In his career with GMA, Enriquez was known for his long-running criminal investigation and public service program called "Imbestigador" (Tagalog for "Investigator"), which eventually became his moniker in the Filipino media industry.

It was also during his time with the network that he was given accolades by award-giving bodies in the media industry, particularly a gold medal at the New York Festival in 2003 as a presenter for the longest-running late-night news program "Saksi" [Tagalog for "Witness"] and a Silver Camera Award at the 2004 US Film and Video Festival for a documentary about the Iraq War.

He also bagged the Best Newscaster Award at the Asian Television Awards in Singapore in 1999.

His most famous trademark expression on both TV and radio was him saying "Excuse me!" after coughing on air.

Fondly Remembered by Colleagues

In the hours following the announcement of his death, several of his GMA colleagues on both its TV and radio bureaus paid tribute to his stellar work ethic and considered him one of the pillars of Filipino broadcasting.

"It is with great sorrow for us here on GMA Network that we report the death of our beloved colleague and friend, Mike Enriquez," fellow broadcast presenter Mel Tiangco said while trying to hold back tears on air. "Mike has been joining us every night on '24-Oras' [the title of GMA's flagship primetime news program] for almost two decades."

Earlier in May, GMA journalist and presenter Emil Sumangil was reported to succeed Enriquez in presenting a radio show similarly formatted to "Imbestigador". He was recorded to say he was "shooting for the moon" in doing so, calling Enriquez a tough act to follow.

"I can't match or surpass him," Sumangil added. "I was just given a platform by the network to show what I'm capable of."

Sumangil was also presenting alongside Tiangco on the night the news was broken to the public.

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