Senate unanimous in vote to honor late veteran broadcaster Mike Enriquez

The Senate on Wednesday unanimously approved a resolution honoring the legacy of late veteran broadcast journalist Miguel "Mike" Enriquez, who passed away last month.

Taking into consideration Proposed Senate Resolution No. 774, 775, and 781, the upper chamber approved Senate Resolution No. 770.

During his interpellation, Senate President Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri paid his tribute to Enriquez, a household name in the Philippine broadcasting industry.

"His passing is a great loss to the nation and to the millions of Filipinos who would watch him day in and day out," Zubiri said.

"Many times, we would start the day listening to him on the radio on our way to work and in the evenings, when we end our day, we watch him on the news," he added.

"That is how iconic and important his life is to many Filipinos."

For her part, Senator Risa Hontiveros recalled a time when she first met the legendary broadcast journalist.

"When I first met Sir Mike, I was intimidated not only because of his booming voice, which he got his nickname 'Booma', but also because of his strong presence," Hontiveros said.

"Despite his strong presence, he was a very good person. While I was in the newsroom of GMA-7, I realized that Sir Mike is really a great man," she added.

She continued: "He was full of dignity. A man that you would really respect for a long time."

Senator Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara, one of the senators who filed a resolution to honor Enriquez's contribution to the Philippine broadcasting industry, also paid tribute to the latter.

"If it is true that a nation is ruled by 'morning radio commentaries and evening news broadcasts' then Mike Enriquez was one great statesman of our race," Angara said in his co-sponsorship speech.

"For 30 years, our days were bookended by his presence on radio and TV. He read the news at night and explained its impact on our daily lives in the morning. And he did it in a manner that generated light than heat," he added.

Angara also praised Enriquez for being combative, "but not coarse in language," and aggressive in questioning "but not abrasive."

"He did his homework and showed us that raising one's voice is not the way to elevate the discourse," he said.

"He can hammer and hammer at an issue until the layers of lies expose the core of truth, while others can only pound and pound on the table and barely scratch the surface," he added.

Enriquez, who was known for his unique style of delivering news, passed away at the age of 71 on 29 August.

Enriquez's wife Lizabeth "Baby" Yumping-Enriquez physically attended the plenary session and accepted the resolution.