It was just a couple of days ago when Miro and I were talking about Mike Enriquez. He had been on medical leave for months and, being the media geeks that we are, we were talking the inevitable transition 24 Oras has to make when he passes.

When it launched in 2004, the newscast was GMA's big bid to becoming a strong player in television news. And it worked, edging off TV Patrol World in the ratings for a good few years. Mike, who started his career as a radio DJ, and already had a successful career in management, was roped into reading the news out of necessity - but quickly became a trusted name, known both for his authority and having just the right amount of street smarts in his style. It was these qualities that helped GMA become competitive in the evening news space - and yes, I know there's a lot to point out when it comes to news in the Philippines - for the next twenty years.

When he took medical leave to undergo a heart operation, and again to undergo a kidney transplant, one couldn't help but think about the future. Surely those who tended to watch GMA thought about how their evening news would feel like without the guy who delivered the news for so long. You don't really see that sort of longevity here. So, Miro and I were talking about that inevitable transition, parts of which were already in place. The titles have changed, and Emil Sumangil was pretty much a permanent replacement, standing alongside Mel Tiangco, who launched the newscast with Mike, and Vicky Morales, who was his on-air partner in late nights, first on GMA Network News and then on Saksi.

When the rumors started trickling out on social media - and I somehow correctly guessed that GMA was keeping the announcement until the end of 24 Oras - my mind went back to the one time I met Mike. He was a celebrated alumni of DLSU, and it was always a privilege to be able to meet a pillar of the profession you wanted to be in, who also happened to come from the same university as you. It was a lunch time talk, the details of which I barely remember. In fact, I can only recall two things: the fact that he wore a slightly faded yellow collared shirt, and the fact that he had to leave early, something he was apologetic about. "We have a budget meeting," he said, in his serious broadcaster voice that comes as a surprise to those who only know him for his television work.

Most of my notebooks - journal fillers, actually - from my three years in college were autographed. Musicians, mostly, but sometimes broadcasters, too. The first one of them to do so was Mike. I remember his handwriting. It was so pretty. I also remember him calling me a "Kapuso" - the network's branding since it adopted its current logo at the turn of the millennium. I prized that notebook, but I think I lost it. If not, it's most likely at home.

I was an ABS-CBN person, but when 24 Oras launched I watched it nightly. I was a fan of new things, after all, but the newscast felt like it rejuvenated everything, and Mike's presence was a big part of it. You heard his voice at night, and then, in the morning, on the news program he hosted on the radio, a job he also kept until he had to go on medical leave. That voice was long silenced by medical problems, but now you know it won't be heard again. But, loving parodies aside, his voice lives on. You know, the whole thing about radio waves still travelling out there in space, waiting to be picked up by whoever may be out there.

The guy loved his profession, and without knowing it, I looked up to him as I tried to break into it as well. Unsuccessfully, but still. A pillar, indeed.