Son remembers Keithley’s liberal stance, tough love

MANILA, Philippines - Do what you want but if you do something wrong, recognize it.

This appeared to be the guiding principle of veteran broadcaster and EDSA icon June Keithley, who lost her four-year battle with breast cancer last Sunday.

Diego Castro, her eldest son, said he would remember his mother as a liberal who showed tough love.  

“(She showed) tough love but (was) fair; tough in a sense that she was frank. When you’re wrong, you’re wrong. When you’re right, you’re right,” Castro told The STAR in an interview in Camp Aguinaldo Monday night.

“My mom was not plastic. Culturally, she was American. What you saw in her, that’s how she acted. If you saw her as somebody loud, noisy or brave, that’s how she was,” he added.

Keithley was known for her marathon broadcasts that inspired people to go to EDSA and call for the restoration of democracy. But for the woman dubbed as the “Voice of People Power,” the political discourse did not end in the radio booth.

“We engaged in debate. If I’m right, she will concede. If not, I’ll say ‘Sorry, Mom, you’re right. (We talk about) political issues. Imagine, my mom, dad and I have our different points of view,” Castro, now a newscaster for UNTV, said.

But behind the image of a liberal and outspoken crusader is a mother who was very close to her son. Castro said his mother even believed that he would be devastated after she dies.

Castro, a proud “mama’s boy,” said he would bring his family to unwind at a place that “has no association whatsoever” with his mother and his father, the late ABS-CBN broadcaster Angelo Castro Jr.

“Right after my dad died, we did not have a chance to mourn because one week after my dad’s final mass, Mommy underwent chemotherapy and she was brought to the hospital,” Castro said.

Castro also recalled his mother’s faith in God, which she retained despite the pains caused by her illness. Castro said Keithley had devotions to St. Paul the Apostle, Blessed John Paul II and Alfredo Obviar, a Filipino bishop who is a candidate for sainthood.

 Keithley’s remains were brought to Camp Aguinaldo last Monday. She was given military honors since she was a recipient of the Legion of Honor Award with a rank of commandant.

Keithley’s remains will be transferred to ABS-CBN Chapel in Quezon City tomorrow and will stay there until Friday, when she will be interred at the Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina.