VICE PRESIDENT NOLI “KABAYAN” DE CASTRO

NOLI DE CASTRO’S ASCENDANCY TO THE SECOND HIGHEST POST IN THE REPUBLIC COULD RIGHTLY BE CALLED, AS ONE NEWS REPORT PUTS IT, “THE PINOY DREAM.” HE TRANSCENDED HIS FAMILY’S POVERTY AND NOW HOLDS THE MANDATE OF THE FILIPINO PEOPLE.

             MORE POPULARLY KNOWN AS “KABAYAN (COMPATRIOT) NOLI”, THE VICE PRESIDENT WAS BORN ON JULY 6, 1949 IN POLA, ORIENTAL MINDORO. AT THE AGE OF TEN (10), HE EXPERIENCED A GREAT LOSS WITH THE PASSING OF HIS FATHER. TO EASE HIS MOTHER’S BURDEN IN RAISING HIM AND HIS FIVE SIBLINGS, KABAYAN LEARNED EARLY ON TO EARN A LIVING BY RAISING PIGS AND SERVING AS AN ALTAR BOY IN THE LOCAL PARISH CHURCH. ALL HIS STRUGGLES STARTED TO PAY OFF WHEN HE EVENTUALLY GRADUATED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF THE EAST IN MANILA IN 1971, WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN COMMERCE, MAJORING IN BANKING AND FINANCE.

            THE MOST SUCCESSFUL BROADCAST JOURNALIST IN THE ANNALS OF LOCAL MEDIA STARTED HIS CAREER IN 1976 AS A FIELD REPORTER FOR MR. JOHNNY DE LEON, A POPULAR RADIO ANNOUNCER OF RADIO STATION DWWW. HE BECAME A RADIO ANNOUNCER FOR THE SAME STATION IN 1982 UNTIL 1986. WHEN TELEVISION BROADCASTER ABS-CBN RESUMED OPERATIONS FOLLOWING THE 1986 EDSA REVOLUTION, THE FILIPINO PUBLIC FOUND KABAYAN TO BE A CREDIBLE AND MARKETABLE TELEVISION PERSONALITY AS HOST OF THE MORNING SHOW, “GOOD MORNING, PHILIPPINES”. LATER, HE HOSTED SEVERAL OTHER SUCCESSFUL SHOWS, SUCH AS MAGANDANG UMAGA” (GOOD MORNING), “OVERSEAS UNLIMITED”, AND THE LONGEST RUNNING MAGAZINE PROGRAM, “MAGANDANG GABI…BAYAN!” (GOOD EVENING… NATION!). IN 1987, HE STARTED AS AN EXECUTIVE ANCHOR OF “TV PATROL”, A PRIMETIME NEWS PROGRAM THAT KABAYAN STEERED TO UNPRECEDENTED SUCCESS AS OVERALL HEAR OF PRODUCTION.

IN RADIO, HE WAS THE HOST OF THE POPULAR DAILY MORNING PROGRAM “KABAYAN” ON DZMM. HIS SUCCESS IN RADIO AND TELEVISION BROADCASTING, AS WELL AS PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT DID NOT COME UNNOTICED. IN 1999, KABAYAN WAS PROMOTED VICE PRESIDENT OF ABS-CBN DZMM. THE RADIO STATION ACHIEVED TOP RATINGS UNDER HIS WATCH.

             AS A HOST, NOLI DE CASTRO WAS AN EFFECTIVE LINK BETWEEN POOR FILIPINOS AND THE GOVERNMENT. KABAYAN WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN BRINGING HOME NEEDY OVERSEAS FILIPINO WORKERS, ASSISTING INDIGENT PATIENTS, HELPING LOCATE MISSING PERSONS AND REUNITING THEM WITH THEIR FAMILIES. ON “MAGANDANG GABI… BAYAN” AND “TV PATROL”, HE EXPOSED NUMEROUS SCAMS, SCANDALS AND INCIDENTS OF CORRUPTION. HE WAS ALSO AN ADVOCATE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND OTHER SOCIAL CONCERNS. THROUGH CONSISTENT MEDIA FOCUS AND CONSEQUENT PUBLIC AWARENESS, HE MADE THOSE RESPONSIBLE OR INVOLVED ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS.

KABAYAN WAS A RECIPIENT OF THE CATHOLIC MASS MEDIA AWARD, AS WELL AS THE 7TH AND 9TH KBP GOLDEN DOVE AWARDS. HE ALSO RECEIVED AWARDS AND CITATIONS FROM OTHER MEDIA GROUPS, GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, SUCH AS: THE DANGEROUS DRUGS BOARD, CRUSADE AGAINST VIOLENCE, THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL POLICE, THE BOY SCOUTS OF THE PHILIPPINES, AND THE ROTARY CLUB OF MANILA.

DESPITE BEING AN INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE, NOLI DE CASTRO EMERGED NUMBER ONE IN THE 2001 SENATORIAL ELECTIONS WITH A RECORD OF MORE THAN 16.2 MILLION VOTES. IN THE PHILIPPINE SENATE, HE WAS CHAIRMAN OF THREE IMPORTANT COMMITTEES: TOURISM; SOCIAL JUSTICE, WELFARE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT; AND CULTURAL COMMUNITIES. HE WAS THE PRINCIPAL AUTHOR AND SPONSOR OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9257, OR THE EXPANDED SENIOR CITIZENS ACT; REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9285 OR THE ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION ACT; REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9288 OR THE NEWBORN SCREENING ACT; AND REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9271 OR THE QUARANTINE ACT. IN HIS THREE YEARS AS SENATOR, KABAYAN FILED MORE THAN 140 BILLS AND RESOLUTIONS, INCLUDING A RESOLUTION CALLING FOR AN INQUIRY IN AID OF LEGISLATION INTO THE CAUSES OF THE MASS EVACUATION OF FILIPINO RESIDENTS IN SABAH, AND 25 EDUCATION BILLS THAT SOUGHT TO UPLIFT THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION, GRANT SCHOLARSHIPS TO DESERVING STUDENTS AND UPGRADE THE SALARIES OF SCHOOL TEACHERS.

ON DECEMBER 29, 2003, THE POPULAR SENATOR ACCEPTED THE NOMINATION AS THE COALITION RUNNING-MATE OF PRESIDENT GLORIA MACAPAGAL-AROYO FOR THE 2004 NATIONAL ELECTION. EVEN THOUGH RESULTS FROM SURVEYS CONDUCTED BY REPUTABLE POLLING FIRMS SHOWED THAT HE WAS ALWAYS WELL AHEAD OF HIS RIVAL CONTENDERS DURING THE RECENT CAMPAIGN, KABAYAN STRESSED THAT “EVEN AS I CONSISTENTLY TOP THE SURVEYS, THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE ELECTION FOR VICE PRESIDENT IS ALREADY OVER. I STILL CONTINUE TO REACH OUT TO THE PEOPLE AND PRESENT TO THEM MY PROGRAMS SO THEY MAY BE ENLIGHTENED ABOUT MY PLANS SHOULD I BE ELECTED.” WHEN ASKED WHY HE DID NOT RUN FOR THE PRESIDENCY WHEN THE SURVEYS ALSO SHOWED (AND PRESIDENT ARROYO HERSELF PUBLICLY ACKNOWLEDGED) THAT HE MAY WELL HAVE WON HAD HE CHOSEN TO STAND FOR THAT POST, DE CASTRO ANSWERED THAT HE WAS NOT YET READY FOR THE HIGHEST OFFICE. THIS HUMILITY IS A MARK OF THE BOY FROM POLA – SOMETHING WHICH, TOGETHER WITH THE PASSION AND COMMITMENT OF THE MEDIA PROFESSIONAL AND SENATOR, THE FILIPINO PEOPLE CAN BENEFIT FROM THEIR NEW VICE PRESIDENT, WHO IS HAPPILY MARRIED TO HIS “BEST FRIEND” ARLENE SINSUAT AND BLESSED WITH THREE CHILDREN.