Ricardo Puno, Jr.

Ricardo “Dong” Villanueva Puno Jr. (20 January 1946- 15 February 2022) was a lawyer, television public affairs host, media executive, and newspaper columnist. He was known for interviews that talk about trending and current issues.

Early Life and Education

Puno was born on 20 January 1946 in Manila to Ricardo C. Puno, a former Minister of Justice under the administration of former President Ferdinand Marcos and Priscilla Villanueva. He was the brother of former Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Ronaldo “Ronnie” Puno and former Congressman Roberto “Robbie” Puno.

He had a Bachelor of Arts Degree (cum laude) from Ateneo de Manila University in 1965, a Bachelor of Laws Degree (cum laude and salutatorian) from the same university in 1969, and a Master of Laws Degree from the Harvard School of Law.

Career

Puno served as Senior Vice President for News and Current Affairs of the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation and Executive Vice President of the ABS-CBN News Channel.

He also wrote articles for his “My Viewpoint” column on The Philippine Star and The Manila Times. He was also the host of Viewpoint on GMA. His program tackled controversial public affairs issues after the assassination of former Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. The show ran for 10 years and won many awards. Puno, who was a fluent English speaker, transferred to ABS-CBN and hosted the prime time talk show Dong Puno Live! in Filipino.

He was the senior partner of the Puno and Puno Law Offices, Vice President-General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of the Philippine Airlines (1978-1983 and 1986-1990), and a member of the Philippine Panel for International Air Negotiations (1979-1990). He was also the President of the Manila Overseas Press Club and President of Guagua National Colleges from 2008 until his retirement in 2012.

Puno was appointed Press Secretary under the administration of former President Joseph Estrada. He ran for a Senate seat in 2001 but lost. He returned to his media position and hosted Dong Puno Nightly. He was appointed as senior vice president (SVP) for integrated news and current affairs in 2003 but gave up his position after the network prohibited ABSC-CBN executives from having on-camera programs at the same time. He later anchored the Insider with Ces Oreña Drilon in 2005.

Puno also tried to run for the lone congressional seat of Muntinlupa in 2007 and in 2010, but lost in both attempts.

In February 2011, Puno joined AksyonTV and hosted a weekly political commentary program, De Kalibre. In March 2014, he joined DWIZ and hosted a public affairs program called Karambola.

Awards and Recognition

• TOYM awardee for Media, 1985
• KBP Golden Dove awardee
  • Best Male Host for Magazine Show, 1999
  • Ka Doroy Achievement Award, 1993
  • Best Public Affairs Show, 1990
• His program, Viewpoint, won the Catholic Mass Media Awards as Best Public Affairs Programs for three consecutive years (1984, 1985 and 1986) and was elevated to the Hall of Fame.
• His television shows (Dong Puno Live, Viewpoint & Focus) have also received recognition from the Gawad CCP Para sa Telebisyon and PMPC Star Awards for Television.

Personal Life

He passed away on 15 February 2022 from complications of Parkinson’s disease. He was 76. He was in and out of the hospital as his sickness progressed. Still, his demise was a surprise to the family as he just returned from confinement and seemed to be getting better.

He is survived by his wife, Christy; sons Ricky and Donnie; and 11 siblings.

Filmography

Television series

• Viewpoint (1984–1994; GMA Network)
• Business Today (1990–1994; GMA Network)
• Dong Puno Live (1995–2000; ABS-CBN)
• Dong Puno Tonight (2003; ABS-CBN)
• Insider (2005–2006; ABS-CBN)
• Viewpoints (2006–2007; ABS-CBN News Channel)
• Kalibre 41 (2011; AksyonTV "now ONE PH")
• News5 Debates: Hamon sa Pagbabago (2011–2013; TV5 and AksyonTV "now ONE PH")
• Dong Puno De Kalibre (2011–2013; AksyonTV "now ONE PH")

Radio show

• Karambola (2014–2015; DWIZ)

References

• Yamsuan, Cathy Cañares.“Dong Puno, ex-press secretary and broadcaster, dies at 76”. INQUIRER.net. (Accessed on 16 February 2022).
• “Palace mourns passing of veteran journalist ‘Dong’ Puno”. Philippine News Agency. (Accessed on 16 February 2022).
• “Veteran broadcaster Dong Puno dies”. Rappler. (Accessed on 16 February 2022).
• Galvez, Daphne.“Palace condoles with family, colleagues of ex-press secretary Dong Puno”. INQUIRER.net. (Accessed on 16 February 2022).
• Cua, Aric John Sy.“ Broadcast journalist Dong Puno, 76”. The Manila Times. (Accessed on 16 February 2022).

Citation

Original content from WikiPilipinas. under GNU Free Documentation License. See full disclaimer.