Turning the tables on Mike Enriquez

Radio and television newscasters are usually not entitled to their own opinion when it comes to work.

They are not allowed to involve their emotions while delivering good or bad news.

Reporters don’t get as much attention as other celebrities do. Their lives don’t necessarily have to be opened up all the way or be put on the evening news everytime something new comes out. It is their job to deliver and broadcast such things.

I was invited, along with the National Artist Eddie Romero, to guest on Review Philippines, Mike Enriquez’s international TV program.

This was my first time Mike interviewed me, and it was very refreshing to guest on his program.

Before I went to the studio, my mind was set on interviewing the Mike Enriquez.

After so many years of reporting, I thought it was time to put him in the hot seat for a few minutes and call it even.

Mike, whose full name is Miguel Castro Enriquez, was born on Sept. 29, 1951 in Sta. Ana, Manila. He’s the eldest of three children, and describes his younger years as "destructive to a certain extent."

He’s a devoted Catholic and has always attended church. He was an altar boy at some point. He planned on becoming a Franciscan priest.

Unfortunately, his parents didn’t agree to the idea. He enrolled at De La Salle University and took up Liberal Arts in Commerce. Today, he calls his profession an accident that was meant to be.

In 1969, when he was 19, Mike had a friend who worked in a radio station. He went to visit his friend.

"I just went to the radio station to visit a friend, and I didn’t have time to apply for a job. I was a student then at La Salle.

"I wasn’t looking for work, but they needed announcers because one was under suspension, the other one was sick and unless they hired a new guy, they couldn’t take any day off.

"So, the fourth fellow they saw there was me. They introduced me to the station manager. They said, ‘Hey, this guy is applying to be an announcer.’ I said, ‘ No, I’m not!’

The announcer heard me speak and asked me if I wanted to give it a try. I was 19 and had nothing to lose, so I just said, ‘ Yeah, what will I do ?"

"I think what got me into that was that I wasn’t nervous at all. I didn’t really care whether I would get the job or not," Mike said.

He started right on the next day and since then, never left the radio booth.

Mike has been waking up at 4 a.m. over the past years and is still very much devoted to his job. In 1995, Mike got his TV break on the early evening newscast Saksi.

"I was working in a different network and got a call. They asked me if I would like to work for GMA 7.

"After eight meetings, to be exact, I said OK. I had no big need to move anywhere.

"There was an election coverage that time and I was there to represent the radio. They discovered that they lacked male anchors.

"One of the guys asked me if I wanted to anchor one of the slots. I said yes, thinking that he was referring to radio.

"He said, ‘No, on TV’ and I answered back, ‘Are you serious? Is this your idea of a joke?’ Let’s face it, my face is not a ‘TV face.’ I started doing TV not because they thought I would look good on TV, but because they were desperate."

He calls the incident another accident! I couldn’t help but laugh as Mike told his stories. It was nice to finally get to see a news anchor with real emotions while telling a story.

This is some serious accident meant to happen. Since then, Mike has never left the radio booth and has been on TV for more than 10 years.

I asked him where he thought he would be at this very instance if he wasn’t the "Mike Enriquez" we know today, and he said, "It’s hard to imagine." He strongly believes this job was meant to be and was given to him by God.

He originally planned to retire at 35, but he finds it hard to leave what he loves most.

Mike now just takes a few days off once in awhile and calls them, "mini retirement."

If ever the day comes when he finally wants to retire, Mike would rather not be remembered.

This is very unusual from people I’ve interviewed. His reason? He would like to just retire, live in privacy and not be talked about.

He hopes that someday, he can just be like any other normal person.

After serving in and delivering news for 38 years, Mike has received numerous awards and is still very happy with his career.

He will also celebrate the 30th anniversary of his wedding to Lizabeth "Baby" Yumping on March 14. Happy anniversary, Mike!

You may e-mail me at [email protected].