Alfonso Tomas Pagaduan Araullo (; born October 19, 1982), professionally known as Atom Araullo, is a Filipino journalist, model, television presenter, triathlete, occasional actor, and radio host. Araullo is a national Goodwill Ambassador for the

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integrati ...

and was conferred the title after undertaking missions to visit displaced families in Mindanao, Bangladesh, and Jordan. He is also an advocate for environmental conservation, notably in marine ecosystems. He received a star on the Eastwood City Walk of Fame on November 21, 2017.

Early life and education

Atom Araullo was born as Alfonso Tomas Pagaduan Araullo on October 19, 1982, the youngest child and only son of Miguel (nicknamed "Mike") and Carol Araullo (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Pagaduan). He has an older sister, Alessandra "Sandra" Araullo-Gonzales, who is a triathlete as well. Being the son of an activist family, Araullo spent most of his early childhood days with his parents battling it out during the

Marcos Marcos may refer to: People with the given name ''Marcos'' *Marcos (given name) Sports ;Surnamed * Dayton Marcos, Negro league baseball team from Dayton, Ohio (early twentieth-century) * Dimitris Markos, Greek footballer * Nélson Marcos, Portug ...

dictatorship. This has exposed him to the political struggle in the country. During his early elementary school days, his parents exposed him to sports and the theater. As a result, he became part of several plays and has joined various competitions as a

triathlete A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of Swimming (sport), swimming, Cycle sport, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the t ...

. He finished his elementary education at

Ateneo de Manila University , mottoeng = Light in the Lord , type = Private, research, non-profit, coeducational basic and higher education institution , established = December 10, 1859 , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic ( Jesuits) , academic ...

, and his high school education at the

Philippine Science High School Main Campus The Philippine Science High School - Main Campus is the flagship campus of the Philippine Science High School System. It was founded in 1964. It is located in Agham Road, Diliman, Quezon City. The Campus The 7.5 hectare campus includes two main b ...

. Araullo graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in applied

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which ...

from the

University of the Philippines Diliman , image = University of The Philippines seal.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = Official Logo of UP Diliman , motto = Honor and Excellence , established = February 12, 194 ...

. There he became a member of the League of Filipino Students (LFS), as well as the chairperson of the Student Alliance for the Advancement of Democratic Rights - UP (STAND-UP). He also won as Councilor in the UP Diliman University Student Council elections of 2003, garnering the highest number of votes.

Career

1993–2003: Early beginnings

During his childhood years, Atom Araullo was part of '' 5 and Up'' (produced by Probe Productions, Inc.). He also used to host the

Studio 23 Studio 23 (officially Studio 23, Inc. and previously AMCARA Broadcasting Network) was a Filipino television network owned by ABS-CBN Corporation. The network was named for its flagship station in Metro Manila, DWAC-TV and carried on UHF cha ...

morning show ''

Breakfast Breakfast is the first meal of the day usually eaten in the morning. The word in English refers to breaking the fasting period of the previous night.Anderson, Heather Arndt (2013)''Breakfast: A History'' AltaMira Press. Various "typical" or " ...

'', ''The National Quiz Bee'', Probe Media Foundation Inc.'s ''

Kabataan Xpress Kabataan, also known as the Kabataan Partylist (KPL, ) and formerly known as Ang Nagkakaisang Kabataan Para sa Sambayanan (ANAK ng BAYAN, ), is a partylist in the Philippines affiliated with the leftist political coalition Makabayan. It is curre ...

'', ''Basta Sports'' and ''Kalye: Mga Kwento ng Lansangan'' with Anthony Taberna and Sol Aragones.

2004–2017: Beginnings as GMA News reporter and transfer to ABS-CBN

Araullo started his news-reporting career with

GMA Network GMA Network (Global Media Arts or simply GMA) is a Philippine free-to-air television and radio network. It is the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network, Inc. Its first broadcast on television was on October 29, 1961. GMA Network (f ...

where he featured in the "ATOMic Sports" segment of ''

24 Oras ''24 Oras'' (pronounced as bente kwatro oras / ) is a Philippine television news broadcasting show broadcast by GMA Network. Originally anchored by Mel Tiangco and Mike Enriquez, it premiered on March 15, 2004, on the network's Telebabad lin ...

''. He moved to ABS-CBN in 2005. He hosted '' Red Alert'' and ''

Umagang Kay Ganda ''Umagang Kay Ganda'' (, also known as UKG) was a Philippine morning show that aired on ABS-CBN from June 25, 2007, to May 5, 2020. Prior to broadcast stoppage and the COVID-19 pandemic, the program was aired every weekday mornings from 5:00 ...

''. Initially rumored, Araullo confirmed his resignation as a news reporter of ''

ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs ABS-CBN Integrated News and Current Affairs, known on-air as ABS-CBN News (formerly known as ''ABS-CBN News and Public Affairs'' and later ''ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs''), is the news and current affairs production and distribution divis ...

'', specifically from his reportorial duties on ''

TV Patrol ''TV Patrol'' is a Philippine television newscast produced by ABS-CBN News. It premiered on March 2, 1987, at the former ABS-CBN television network, replacing ''Balita Ngayon''. ''TV Patrol'' is the flagship national newscast of the network a ...

'', ''

Bandila ''Bandila'' () was a Philippine television late-night news program broadcast by ABS-CBN with simulcast worldwide via TFC, Originally anchored by Korina Sanchez, Henry Omaga-Diaz and Ces Oreña-Drilon. The program premiered on July 3, 2006, ...

'', and the

ABS-CBN News Channel ABS-CBN News Channel, commonly known as ANC, is a 24/7 Philippine pay television news channel. It was launched in 1996 as the first all-news network in English language. The majority of its programs are produced by ABS-CBN News. The channel is ...

(ANC) in late August 2016. He explained that he wanted to explore opportunities and pursue other interests, debunking the rumor that he opted for resignation because of his strong opinions.

2017–present: Return to GMA Network

In September 2017, Araullo left ABS-CBN. He returned to

that same month, where he focused on making documentaries such as ''Philippine Seas'' (2017) and '' The Atom Araullo Specials'' (2018–present). Araullo acted as an interim anchor for ''24 Oras'' since 2018 when

Mike Enriquez Miguel Castro Enriquez (; born September 29, 1951), professionally known as Mike Enriquez, is a Filipino television and radio newscaster. He is also the Consultant for radio operations of GMA Network, and president of the network's regional ...

took a medical leave. "Munting Bisig", an episode from the ''Atom Araulo Specials'', won a silver award in the human concerns and social issues category at the Cannes Corporate Media and TV Awards. The episode also won in the social issues category at the New York Festivals TV and Film Awards 2022 and best Asian documentary at the Asia Content Awards.

Acting career

Araullo made his acting debut with a lead role in a noir

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in C ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

Citizen Jake ''Citizen Jake'' is a 2018 Philippine noir crime drama film which featured Atom Araullo directed by Mike de Leon. Plot When journalist Jake Herrera (real life journalist Atom Araullo, in his film debut) investigates the murder of a student ...

'' directed by Mike De Leon in 2018, acting as a son of corrupt senator-turned-citizen journalist Jacobo "Jake" Herrera Jr.

Awards and nominations

Filmography

Film

Radio

*''Red Alert sa DZMM'' ( DZMM Radyo Patrol 630) (2013–2017)

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Araullo, Atom 1982 births Living people GMA News and Public Affairs people GMA Network personalities ABS-CBN personalities ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs people Ateneo de Manila University alumni Filipino male film actors Filipino male models Filipino television journalists Filipino television news anchors Male actors from Metro Manila People from Quezon City Tagalog people University of the Philippines Diliman alumni