Meet 3 PTV news anchors

MANILA, Philippines — People’s Television (PTV4) head Kat de Castro recently presented the network’s top news anchors.

While Aljo Bendijo easily stood out from the bunch, having been a former news presenter in the Kapamilya network, three other personalities impressed us with their presentations that afternoon.

Usec. Rocky Ignacio is a three-decade veteran in television broadcasting who started her career in a showbiz-oriented show entitled Sine Silip in IBC13. Concurrent to her post as Presidential Communications Operations Office undersecretary, she has been personally named by President Rodrigo Duterte as the Malacañang Overseer at PTV, the government network.

Rocky currently hosts the daily public briefing of the government, Laging Handa PH, which has soared to the list of the viewing public’s must-watch programs since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March. Co-hosting with PCOO Sec. Martin Andanar, Usec. Rocky provides the public quick responses to their queries to and about the government. She also serves as the media reporters’ link to the Palace as she regularly joins Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque in his regular press conferences to ask even the most difficult questions sent to her by journalists from across media types.

She also anchors the weekend edition of the station’s flagship news program, Ulat Bayan on Saturdays from 6 to 6:30 p.m., with Joee Guilas.

Meanwhile, standing at six feet tall, he is definitely a head-turner — Gab Bayan, a student leader, SK chair, and now PTV host of youth-oriented debate program Skoolmates and morning show Rise and Shine Pilipinas. On the side, he also hosts a segment in the late-evening English newscast PTV News Tonight, where he dons the millennial hat.

Gab is a familiar face to couch potatoes, having previously been a part of the Eat Bulaga Baes.

“We only live once. It is best for us to help those who are in need of our assistance,” he said, giving members of the media more reasons to swoon over this young man.

The third anchor shocked the media in attendance when he openly admitted to being “Bi,” during the press gathering.

Joee was apparently referring to his being bilingual. True enough, he is the only PTV anchor who presents news both in English (PTV News Tonight, 9:30 to 10:30 p.m., weeknights) and Tagalog, Ulat Bayan Weekend, with Usec. Rocky.

Formerly a business presenter and reporter for ABS-CBN, Joee temporarily left television to further hone his expertise as a business communicator, in different major companies.

Asked if he ever gets pressured at having to shift from Tagalog to English newscasting, he said: “I consider it a gift to be able to speak both Tagalog and English pretty well. At the end of the day, such facility in both languages serves as my main tool in serving the people through the news.”