Rikki Mathay is an awarded broadcast journalist from the Philippines who was born on October 29, 1978 before becoming a Spokesperson and Media Chief in the
Senate of the Philippines
The Senate of the Philippines (Filipino: ''Senado ng Pilipinas'', also ''Mataas na Kapulungan ng Pilipinas'' or "upper chamber") is the upper house of Congress of the bicameral legislature of the Philippines with the House of Representatives as ...
(2013 to 2018).
Career
Rikki was the youngest
news anchor
A news presenter – also known as a newsreader, newscaster (short for "news broadcaster"), anchorman or anchorwoman, news anchor or simply an anchor – is a person who presents news during a news program on TV, radio or the Internet. ...
in Philippine broadcast history at the age of 19, when she started her career in
ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation
ABS-CBN Corporation is a Filipino media company based in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is the largest entertainment and media conglomerate in the Philippines. It is a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation which is owned by t ...
straight out of college^. Among her most noteworthy news and current affairs programs in ABS-CBN include the following:
Alas Singko Y Medya (ASYM)
A 3-hour daily morning show where she was introduced as VJ Rikki in 2000. A spin-off of ASYM, she hosted Magandang Umaga Bayan as one of the show’s main hosts until 2005.
The CNN Global News with Rikki Kwek
Through a partnership with the international news agency
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 ...
, Rikki was the anchor for this nightly global newscast. She broke the news on the
9/11
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...
Tragedy, among other international headliners.
The Filipino Channel's Balitang Middle East
The flagship program of the first international News Bureau in the Philippines, Rikki pioneered Balitang Middle East as its host/ anchor.
ABS-CBN Breaking News/ Hourly News Advisory
Seven days of hourly news updates from morning until evening, Rikki was able to break the latest news including the
Manila Peninsula military standoff, bombing, among others.
Meron Akong Kwento
Partnering with Marc Logan in 2003, Rikki produced and anchored national human interest stories under ABS-CBN’s current affairs department.
Headlines Nightly News
The nightly newscast prior to Bandila, Rikki anchored the lifestyle and showbiz portions of the program, being a first in evening news programs at that time.
News Advisories for FM Station WRR 101.9...For Life
Writer, researcher and anchor, Rikki headed the news division of ABS-CBN's FM station, WRR 101.9... For Life, from 1999 to 2003. The station was dubbed the number 1 FM station according to surveys during that time. ^
DZMM 630 SSS Reports
Her programs, were top rating during her stay, including the FM station of ABS-CBN which ranked the highest in surveys. ^
During her broadcasting career, Rikki was not only a famous news anchor ^ and a sought-after events host ^, but she also served as a young director for Media in the
National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women
The Philippine Commission on Women (formerly the National Commission on the Role of the Filipino Women), is a government agency run by the government of the Philippines with the intention of promoting and protecting the rights of the Women in th ...
(NCRFW) under then chairman Myrna Yao.
After her wedding in 2005, Rikki committed herself to motherhood and philanthropy. In 2012, she joined the office of then neophyte Senator
JV Ejercito
Joseph Victor Gomez Ejercito (; born December 26, 1969), also known as JV Ejercito Estrada or simply JV Ejercito, is a Filipino politician and businessman serving as a Senator since 2022 and previously from 2013 to 2019. He had also served as t ...
as his Media Chief and Spokesperson in the Senate of the Philippines.
Print Media
She is currently a columnist for leading national newspapers, Manila Bulletin with her weekly editorial The Right Move, and Bulgar Tabloid.
Net 25 Eagle Broadcasting Network
In December 2022, she joined Net 25 as its news anchor for Mata ng Agila, as well as its news and public relations consultan
Personal life
Born on October 29, 1978, as Ingrid Baclig Kwek to businessman Nick Kwek and Lilian Baclig-Kwek (of the political clan of Cagayan), Rikki as she was later known in broadcasting, is an alumna of
St. Theresa's College, Quezon City where she was a consistent Outstanding Student. At age 16, she was a freshman at the
University of the Philippines
The University of the Philippines (UP; fil, Pamantasan ng Pilipinas Unibersidad ng Pilipinas) is a state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by Republic Act No. 9500 (UP Charter of 200 ...
, Diliman and graduated Magna Cum Laude at age 19 with a double degree in BA- Broadcast Communication and BA- Sociology. She was inducted into the prestigious honor societies, International Honour Society of
Pi Kappa Phi
Pi Kappa Phi (), commonly known as Pi Kapp(s), is an American Greek Letter secret and social fraternity. It was founded by Andrew Alexander Kroeg Jr., Lawrence Harry Mixson, and Simon Fogarty Jr. on December 10, 1904 at the College of Charleston i ...
and the
Pi Gamma Mu
Pi Gamma Mu or (from Πολιτικές Γνώσεως Μάθεται) is the oldest and preeminent honor society in the social sciences. It is also the only interdisciplinary social science honor society. It serves the various social science di ...
International Honour Society of Social Sciences.
Her school internship with broadcast journalist Gel Santos-Relos for ABS-CBN's long running and top rated travel program, Tatak Pinoy, paved the way to her illustrious career with the network.
In 2005, she married
Cris Mathay
Michael Cristopher "Cris" Reyes Mathay is a city councilor in the City of San Juan, Metro Manila, San Juan, Philippines.
Career
Cris comes from a political lineage, with his grandfather Mel Mathay an Assemblyman, Vice Governor of Metro Manila, an ...
^
[Lifestyle Asia, August 2005] and they have two daughters, Cristah and Mischka.
Philanthropies
Rikki was one of the earlier volunteers of the
Philippine Red Cross
The Philippine Red Cross (PRC; fil, Krus na Pula ng Pilipinas) is a non-profit humanitarian organization and a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
The PRC was established in 1947, with roots in the Philippine Re ...
in Barangay Greenhills,
San Juan. In 2010, she organized this upscale community to train the first internationally accredited volunteers of Red Cross in Greenhills. She continues to serve as a Director of the Philippine Red Cross.
She has also been active in other non-government organizations that support the marginalized. Rikki has been a board member of Zonta Club International, National Director of the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Philippines, the Parents Auxiliary of the Immaculate Conception Academy, and a supporter of the
Tzu Chi Foundation. A devout Catholic and a Marian devotee, she and her husband served as
Cabeza de Barangay
A ''cabeza de barangay'' (literally "head of hebarangay), also known as ''teniente del barrio'', was the leader or chief of a barangay or barrio in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period.Scott, William Henry. ''Barangay Sixteenth-Cen ...
of St. John de Baptist parish. Rikki was also a spokesperson for the national movement of breastfeeding advocates, Latch.
In 2002, she served as Director in the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women championing and protecting women's rights which has been her advocacy along with championing health care.
Rikki is a blogger in the lifestyle website, workingmommah.weebly.com.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mathay, Rikki
Filipino sports journalists
Filipino television journalists
Filipino public relations people
Filipino bloggers
University of the Philippines Diliman alumni
ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs people
People from Quezon City
Living people
1978 births
9. https://www.net25.com/article/11039