Dong Puno - Early Life

Early Life

Ricardo Puno, Jr. was born on January 20, 1946 in Manila. Puno was previously Senior Vice President for News and Current Affairs of the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation and Executive Vice President of the ABS-CBN News Channel. On top of that, he wrote articles for his column "My Viewpoint" first on The Philippine Star and later The Manila Times. He was host for a public affairs program, Viewpoints, shown on ANC.

He is the senior partner of the Puno and Puno Law Offices, Vice President-General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of the nation's flag-carrier, the Philippine Airlines (1986–1990 and 1978–1983) and a member of the Philippine Panel for International Air Negotiations (1979–1990). He holds a Bachelor's of Arts degree (cum laude) from Ateneo de Manila University (1965), a Bachelor of Laws degree (cum laude and salutatorian) from the same University in 1969 and a Master of Laws degree from the Harvard Law School. He was also a past president of the Manila Overseas Press Club.

When President Joseph Estrada assumed power, Puno was appointed Press Secretary and ran unsuccessfully for a Senate seat in the 2001 senatorial race. After this debacle, he returned to the media profession and re-assumed his old position at ABS-CBN, but lost it anew after he chose to anchor the network's reformatted national late-night newscast Insider with Ces Oreña-Drilon in 2004. However, due to low ratings, the said newscast was canceled and was replaced by Bandila which marked the return of Korina Sanchez to the local newscasting scene. (Drilon then joined Bandila.) He then ran unsuccessfully for the lone congressional seat of Muntinlupa City in 2007 against Congressman Ruffy Biazon. With Biazon term-limited (he ran and lost for a Senate seat), Puno again contested the seat in the 2010 election against Biazon's father, Senator Rodolfo Biazon, but lost garnering 27% of the vote against Biazon's 46%.

On February 2011, he joined AksyonTV and started hosting a weekly political commentary program called De Kalibre.

He is the recipient of various awards in the fields of media and law: the 1985 TOYM awardee for Media and a KBP Golden Dove awardee (Best Male Host for Magazine Show, 1999; Ka Doroy Achievement Award, 1993 and the Best Public Affairs Show, 1990).

His program, Viewpoint, won the Catholic Mass Media Awards as Best Public Affairs Programs for three consecutive years (1984, 1985 and 1986) and was elevated to the Hall of Fame. His television shows (Dong Puno Live, Viewpoint & Focus) have also received recognition from the Gawad CCP Para sa Telebisyon and Star Awards for Television.