''Probe Profiles'' (formerly known as ''Probe'', ''The Probe Team'' and ''The Probe Team Documentaries'') is a Philippine documentary television program broadcast by

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast broadcast network, network tha ...

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 ...

and

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

. The program was hosted by

Cheche Lazaro Cecilia "Cheche" Aldaba Lim-Lázaro (born September 8, 1945, in Los Angeles, California), is an acclaimed Filipino broadcast journalist and the founding President of Probe Productions Inc. as well as an Editor-at-Large of online news website Ra ...

. It premiered on March 6, 1987 and ended on June 30, 2010. The program, considered as the pioneer television news-magazine in the Philippines, started airing in 1987 on ABS-CBN, with Lazaro,

Maria Ressa Maria Angelita Ressa (, born Maria Angelita Delfin Aycardo on October 2, 1963) is a Filipino and American journalist. She is the co-founder and CEO of Rappler. She previously spent nearly two decades working as a lead investigative reporter in S ...

(founder/chief executive officer of online news site

Rappler Rappler (portmanteau of the words "rap" and "ripple") is a Filipino online news website based in Pasig, Metro Manila, the Philippines. It was founded by 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa along with a group of fellow Filipino journalists ...

; formerly

ABS-CBN News 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 divisi ...

head and former

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...

bureau chief) and

Luchi Cruz-Valdes Luisita "Luchi" Cruz-Valdes (born December 27, 1965) is a Filipino broadcast journalist formerly affiliated with GMA News and Public Affairs and ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs. She is currently the chief of News5, the news and public affa ...

(currently TV5 News and Information (

News5 TV5 News and Information, known on-air as News5 (formerly ABC News and Public Affairs and TV5 News and Public Affairs), is the news and information programming division of the TV5 Network Inc., Philippines. News5 produces its news and inform ...

) Head and former ABS-CBN Current Affairs head as well as former

executive) at the helm. After one year and fourteen months, it moved to GMA Network as a blocktimer. It was in GMA where ''The Probe Team'' had its longest run in its history.

Overview

After more than two decades of censorship and repression, press freedom was immediately restored with the dismantling of the Marcos dictatorship by a popular revolt in 1986 (

People Power Revolution The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, was a series of popular Demonstration (people), demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a ...

). Media ownership was turned over to an enthusiastic private sector eager to take advantage of the newfound democratic space. Probe Productions Inc. was a product of the euphoric period. Convinced that Filipinos need more than just the news, four pioneering journalists – Cheche Lazaro, Maria Ressa, Luchi Cruz-Valdes, Tony Velasquez, and Angie Ramos – adopted the investigative newsmagazine format and called the television program Probe. The project, which was first broadcast over ABS-CBN, turned out to be the country’s first, most awarded and longest-running, investigative newsmagazine show. To make investigative pieces a main fixture in Philippine television, the group put up its own production house and continued with what it started. Operating from a small bedroom, the show’s one-hour reports were broadcast as monthly specials by a new television station—GMA Network. After the third telecast, in response to enthusiastic reviews, GMA gave ''The Probe Team'' (Probe’s new name) a weekly slot. The first weekly telecast began on May 20, 1988. The Probe Team, or Probe Profiles, is known for fearlessly exposing the hard truths in Philippine society. No non-sense and hard-hitting, Probe tackles pressing societal concerns through the eyes of various stakeholders and calls a spade a spade. It engenders a deeper understanding and appreciation of issues by way of stories that capture the hearts and minds of viewers.

PAGCOR Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR, ) is a government-owned and controlled corporation established through the ''Presidential Decree 1869''. PAGCOR is the Philippines' largest contributor of revenue to the government after the ...
Controversy

Due to a controversy surrounding one of its features which involved a Philippine government official close to former

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal Arroyo (, born April 5, 1947), often referred to by her initials GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician serving as one of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, House Deputy Spe ...

in 2003, its contract with GMA was terminated for 15 years. As a result, it moved to ABC and renamed the show ''The Probe Team Documentaries''. The show returned to its original home, ABS-CBN, in 2005, and was retitled back to ''Probe''. It has continued the tradition of airing provocative documentaries and investigative reports. On June 17, 2009, it was known as Probe Profiles.

Final hosts

;Probe alumni * Cecilia Lazaro - Host, Founder and President of Probe *

- former

Bureau Chief; former Vice President for News and Current Affairs, ABS-CBN; News Chief, Rappler.com *

- Vice President for News and Information, TV5 * Nessa Valdellon - Vice President for GMA News and Public Affairs * David Celdran - News Director and Anchor,

ANC The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...

; PCIJ * Manny Ayala -

National Geographic Channel National Geographic (formerly National Geographic Channel; abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo or Nat Geo TV) is an American pay television television network, network and flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel owned by the National Geograp ...

Singapore * Apa Ongpin - former ABS-CBN News Lifestyle Reporter & also former cast member in a sitcom, ''Palibhasa Lalake'' * Ditsi Carolino - Documentarist *

Marga Ortigas Margarita Ortigas (generally known as Marga Ortigas) is a writer and media communications consultant who previously worked as a correspondent for Al Jazeera English. Career AlJazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...

* Angie Ramos- Producer,

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was estab ...

Singapore *

Karen Davila Kristine Karen Lising Davila-Sta. Ana (; born November 21, 1970), professionally known as Karen Davila, is a Filipino journalist. Early life Davila went to high school at the Colegio San Agustin – Makati. She took a degree of Bachelor of A ...

- Anchor,

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 Host, Ako Ang Simula (

); Host, Headstart (ANC) * Pauline Mangilog-Saltarin - Creative Director,

Jesuit Communications Foundation Jesuit Communications Foundation (JesCom) is the media arm of the Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus. JesCom was founded in 1995 by the late Rev. Fr. James B. Reuter, S.J. It is based in the Society of Jesus, Jesuit Ateneo de Manila U ...

; Contributing Producer, Caldecott Productions/

NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestr ...

Japan * Jessica Domingo Lara - Producer, Lakbay TV; freelance writer, OffTheGridNews.com (USA)
Ruben Canlas
- Professor and IT Management Consultant * Carol Gancia - Executive Producer / CEO - Ripplemakers, Inc.; CEO - Sikat Naturals; Filmmaker/Writer - Ripplemakerstv.com; Producer - Google, Inc.; Associate Producer - KQED TV San Francisco; Executive Producer -

I-Witness ''i-Witness'', formerly ''i-Witness: The GMA Documentaries'' is a Philippine television documentary show broadcast by GMA Network and GMA News TV. Originally hosted by Vicky Morales, Luchi Cruz-Valdes, Mike Enriquez, Cheche Lazaro and Jessic ...

(

GMA 7 DZBB-TV, Channel 7 (analog) and Channel 15 (digital), is the flagship TV station of Philippine television network GMA. The station is owned and operated by GMA Network Inc. with its studios are located at the GMA Network Center, EDSA corner ...

) * Angelina Cantada - Independent Filmmaker, Executive Producer, I-Witness (GMA 7) * Tony Velasquez - Anchor, ANC and Headline Pilipinas ( DZMM TeleRadyo) * Twink Macaraig - Anchor,

AksyonTV Aksyon TV () was a Philippine free-to-air television network. It was a joint venture of Nation Broadcasting Corporation and TV5 Network, Inc. (international operations is under its subsidiary Pilipinas Global Network Ltd.), both under PLDT med ...

Howie Severino Horacio "Howie" Gorospe Severino (born July 18, 1961) is a Filipino broadcast journalist, anchor, host, documentarist and podcaster who is currently working in GMA Network. He is best known for his work with the Philippine Center for Investigati ...

- Host, I-Witness (GMA 7); Editor-in-Chief, GMANews.tv; PCIJ; Anchor,

News to Go ''News to Go'' is a Philippine television news broadcasting show broadcast by GMA News TV. Hosted by Kara David and Howie Severino, it premiered on February 28, 2011 and worldwide on GMA News TV International. The show concluded on May 31, 201 ...

(

GMA News TV GMA News TV (GNTV; visually rendered in its logo in all capital letters as GMA NEWS TV) is a 24-hour Philippine-based international pay television channel owned by Citynet Network Marketing and Productions Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of GM ...

) * Love Añover - Host,

Unang Hirit ''Unang Hirit'' () is a Philippine television news broadcasting and talk show broadcast by GMA Network. It is the longest running morning show in the Philippines. Originally hosted by Ryan Agoncillo, Lyn Ching-Pascual, Arnold Clavio, Suzi E ...

and Lovely Day (GMA 7) * Jay Cesora Orense - Former Executive Producer for various GMA Public Affairs shows, Author "Silence Speaks", Program Manager TV5 News and Information or

Bernadette Sembrano Bernadette Lorraine Palisada Dominguez Sembrano-Aguinaldo (; born February 18, 1976) is a Filipino reporter, newscaster, television host, and musician. Career Newscasting career Sembrano started with IBC as a newscaster in 1997 before mo ...

- Former Anchor,

TV Patrol Weekend ''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 an ...

and Current host,

Salamat Dok ''Salamat Dok'' () was a Philippine medical television program Originally hosted by Cheryl Cosim and it premiered on April 24, 2004, on ABS-CBN, which provides information on diseases and medical concerns. The show also provides free on-air consult ...

and

Umagang Kay Ganda ''Umagang Kay Ganda'' (, also known as UKG) was a Philippine Breakfast television, morning show that aired on ABS-CBN from June 25, 2007, to May 5, 2020. Prior to ABS-CBN franchise renewal controversy, broadcast stoppage and the COVID-19 pand ...

(ABS-CBN) *

Pinky Webb Joanna Marie "Pinky" Pagaspas Webb (born June 11, 1970) is a Filipina broadcast journalist currently working for CNN Philippines. She is the daughter of Freddie Webb and a sister of Jason and Hubert Webb. Education She attended high school at ...

- Anchor, ANC and TV Patrol Weekend and Host,

XXX XXX may refer to: Codes and symbols * 30 (number), Roman numeral XXX * XXX, designating pornography ** XXX, an X rating#United_States, X rating ** .xxx, an internet top-level domain intended for pornographic sites * XXX, a symbol of the straight ...

;

CNN Philippines CNN Philippines (abbreviated as CNN PH) is a commercial broadcast, cable and satellite television network in the Philippines. It is owned and operated by Nine Media Corporation, together with Radio Philippines Network (RPN) as the main content ...

* Eliza Zamora-Solis - Former Executive Producer, I-Witness and Case Unclosed (GMA 7); Senior Correspondent TV5 News and Information, Editorial Consultant,

Insider ''Insider'', previously named ''Business Insider'' (''BI''), is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider''s parent company Insider Inc. has been owned by the German publ ...

(TV5) * Ella Evangelista - Program Manager, GMA 7 Public Affairs * Karen Lumbo - Program Manager, GMA 7 Public Affairs * JM Cobarrubias - Program Manager, GMA 7 Public Affairs * Michaela Cabrera - Fulbright Scholar at Columbia University; Producer and Reporter, Reuters Manila * Rolly Ng - Cameraman, Reuters Manila * Kathy Quiano - Reporter/ Producer (CNN Jakarta) * Rene Santiago - Former cameraman CNN Jakarta: Chief cameraman (TV5) * Garlic Garcia - Headwriter/Creative Consultant (ABS-CBN Entertainment) * Abbie Lara - Director, I -Witness (GMA 7) * Joseph Laban - Fulbright Scholar at NYU; Managing Producer (GMA 7); Contributing Producer, New York Times; PCIJ, Cinemalaya Director * Bong Lozano - Director, Unang Hirit (GMA 7) * Lloyd Navera - former Executive Producer and Director, I-Witness; Program Manager, GMA 7 Public Affairs * Minette Tirona, Program Manager, GMA 7 * Inky Santiago - Nakpil, Contributing Manila Producer, CNN, Discovery Channel and BBC * Lolita Lachica - Producer, English Current Affairs,

Channel News Asia CNA (stylised as cna), which is an acronym derived from its previous name, Channel NewsAsia, is a Singaporean multinational news channel owned by the country's national public broadcaster Mediacorp. It broadcasts free-to-air domestically in Sin ...

, Singapore * Robert Alejandro - Graphic Artist & also a former TV host of ''Art Is Kool'': now currently co-manager of Papemelroti Gift Store * Kath Mendoza-Hernandez - Supervising Producer, Art-is-Kool / Producer, Probe * Adrian Ayalin - Media Officer, US Embassy; Reporter Government News and Public Affairs Group-RPN; Anchor, NewsWatch ( RPN): now currently as a senior reporter of ABS-CBN News. * Alexis Loinaz- Managing Editor,

Metromix Metromix LLC was a Chicago entertainment website at Chicago.Metromix.com, owned by the ''Chicago Tribune'' division of Tribune Publishing. It served the Chicago metropolitan area. The website now redirects to that of the Chicago Tribune. History ...

New York * Nike Lorenzo - Contributing Producer, Al Jazeera Manila * Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala - Managing Director, Asianeye Productions; Contributing Producer, CNN * Leogarda Sanchez-Matias - Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs, GMA 7 * Macky Recinto Fernando - Marketing Manager, Probe Productions, Inc. Special Projects Division *

Betong Sumaya Alberto Sermonia Sumaya Jr. (born November 21, 1975), popularly known as Betong Sumaya, is a Filipino comedian, actor, and former production assistant for GMA Network, where he is also a part of the network's talent agency. He graduated with ...

- Sole Survivor Philippines: Celebrity Doubles Showdown, GMA 7; Segment Host, Unang Hirit and Ang Pinaka, GMA 7; Executive Producer, Day Off;

Sunday PinaSaya ''Sunday PinaSaya'' () is a Philippine television variety show broadcast by GMA Network. Hosted by Ai-Ai delas Alas, Marian Rivera, Wally Bayola and Jose Manalo, it premiered on August 9, 2015 on the network's Sunday Grande sa Hapon line up rep ...

; GMA News TV 27; now current hosts of All Out Sundays & Centerstage, GMA 7 * Akiko Thomson - Olympic swimmer; current

Philippine Sports Commission The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC, ) is an agency of the Philippine government which tackles matters concerning sports in the country. The sports agency is independent from the Philippine Olympic Committee which enjoys autonomy from the gov ...

commissioner *

Ricky Carandang Ramon "Ricky" Arellano Carandang (born September 2, 1967) is a Filipino journalist. He was a news correspondent and anchor for ABS-CBN and ANC until July 9, 2010, when he resigned to serve as Presidential Communications Development and Strategic ...

- Malacanang Spokesman * Ivy Cay (DJ Diwata of 91.5 Big Radio)

Accolades

*PMPC Star Awards for Television: Best Public Affairs Program (2009) *Gawad CCP Para Sa Telebisyon (Winner,1988-1999) *Catholic Mass Media Awards (Hall Of Famer, 1987-1999)

References

External links