Angelo Castro Jr., 67

NEWS ANCHOR Angelo Castro Jr. died on April 5 of lung cancer at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City where he had been confined for three months prior to his death.  He was 67, and is survived by his wife, former broadcaster June Keithley, and children.

Castro won the Ka Doroy Broadcaster of the Year Award in the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (Association of Broadcasters in the Philippines, KBP) Golden Dove Awards in 2006. He was a member of the KBP Board of Trustees in 2001.

Castro joined ABS-CBN in 1986 after the EDSA revolution. He hosted several news and current affairs specials and co-anchored ABS-CBN’s newscast The World Tonight (later aired on ANC, ABS-CBN’s news channel). Castro is credited as the creator of ABS-CBN’s flagship newscast TV Patrol. In 2000, he became ABS-CBN’s senior vice president for news and current affairs. He returned on air on November 7, 2011, after a two-year hiatus.

Castro’s condition was made public in an ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC) interview with Keithley on April 2.

An addition to colleagues and media practitioners, government officials like President Benigno Aquino III and Vice President Jejomar Binay were also at Castro’s wake. Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a statement that “We mourn the passing of Angelo Castro Jr. For many years he was a calm and reassuring presence in the late evening news.”

Castro was an actor prior to his career as a newsman. Former President Joseph Estrada, who was Castro’s co-star in several films, described Castro as a man of “principle” and a “gentleman.” Estrada, who remained a good friend to Castro, said “he is a big loss to the movies, more especially to broadcast. Alam naman natin na si (We all know that) Angelo is a very well-respected broadcaster.”

Castro’s remains were cremated. His ashes will be kept near a pond in his home.