Frankie Evangelista was born on July 24, 1934 and died on February 18, 2004. He was a famous Filipino radio and television broadcaster of ABS-CBN since 1953.His real name is Francisco Fermin Evangelista born in Nueva Ecija, Philippines. He started his broadcasting career as a DJ and was known to be a credible and reliable newscaster. He had a distinguished and respectable career in radio and his live coverage of special events was always competent and trustworthy. He was the voice that behind “Hoy Gising” portion of Radyo Patrol. He married Patria Hipolito and they were blessed with 3 children. Frankie Evangelista died on February 18, 2004 at the age of 69 of pneumonia at the De Los Santos Medical Center.
He is also fondly called ka Kiko and had spent 50 years of his entire broadcasting career over ABS-CBN. He stared as a radio personality and progressed to be a very significant force in network’s shows and also became one of the executive producers of a memorable comedy show: Super Laff-In. His last appearance was in ANC show Dateline Philippines and ANC News 3PM, and he was last heard on his Hoy Gising program over DZMM. He was also a part of “Sa Mata Ng Balita,” and “Limampung Ligawan,” an ABS-CBN Anniversary documentary special.
Frankie Evangelista has been already an icon and a legend in Philippine broadcasting. In happier days, he still goes to work bright-eyed and still very passionate of his job, just like a newcomer is. He shared he stayed in this career for decades because he was not working, and he had only fun. Frankie always shares Bob Dylan words of wisdom “when you wake up in the morning and sleep at night, then in between, you do what you love and then that is success.” Broadcasting industry is a very complicated world, but for a person like Ka Kiko, he makes the job very simple because of his love of his career.
He never grew tired of his job, instead continued to work on his broadcasting career diligently without putting air in his head, and with his journey, he never left his good heart. In his 50 years in the media, money was never an issue to him, and you can feel that there was really no price for this man, a respected, dignified broadcaster, whose laughter will always linger in the subconscious minds of his audience and to those who had that real respect for him. Men like him do not actually grow old but rather become seasoned and experienced and amazingly full of humility.
Although his passing is considered a big loss to the media industry, his legacy lived on, and hopefully there will be people in the media who can follow his example of being a sincere worker of truth and humility. No one can ever surpass or equal a Frankie Evangelista. Hopefully, he will become an inspiration to those who were left behind, to do their job with so much dedication, passion and loyalty.
