APRIL 2009 Feature: Ted Failon

Ted Failon

Representative, 1st District Leyte
In office: 2001 – 2007
Born: March 29, 1962 in Tacloban City, Leyte
Nationality: Filipino
Spouse: Trinidad Etong (1965-2009)
Occupation: broadcast journalist, radio commentator, former congressman

Mario Teodoro Failon Etong (born March 29, 1962), better known by his names Ted Failon or Teodoro Failon is a Filipino broadcast journalist, radio commentator, and a former congressman representing the first district of Leyte, Philippines, from 2001 to 2007.

Early life

Ted Failon was born and raised in Tacloban City, Leyte, on March 29, 1962. Working early on to financially support his studies, he finished his elementary school at St. Andrew's School Parañaque in 1974, and high school at UNIVERSITY OF PERPETUAL HELP SYSTEM DALTA LAS-PINAS CAMPUS DEPT OF BUSINESS HIGH SCHOOL in 1979. He took up AB Economics in Colegio de San Juan de Letran while working as a disc jockey in a small joint along EDSA and Cubao, Quezon City. He earned a Bachelor in Broadcast Communication degree from Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Manila in 1996, and has attended the Bachelor of Laws program of Arellano University.

Career

Failon worked as Announcer at Radyo DIWA in Tacloban City from 1983 to 1988, and Program Director at DWGV-FM 99.1 in Angeles City, Pampanga from 1988 to 1990. He later moved to ABS-CBN where he went on to become Executive Producer and News Anchor between 1990 and 2001. He was elected as Representative of 1st district of Leyte from 2001 to 2004. Failon resumed broadcasting at ABS-CBN in 2004 up to the present.
At ABS-CBN, Failon has hosted television and radio programs covering news and public affairs. He became popular after co-hosting the public affairs program Hoy Gising!. He also taught journalism at his alma mater, the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
Today, Failon is one of three main news anchors of TV Patrol World, the flagship news program of ABS-CBN, the Philippines' largest broadcasting network. He is also a radio commentator and newscaster in DZMM, a radio network owned by ABS-CBN. At DZMM, he co-hosts "Tambalang Failon and Sanchez" with veteran broadcaster Korina Sanchez.

Politics

In 2001, Failon entered politics when he ran for a seat in the House of Representatives, representing the 1st District of Leyte. He won the seat, defeating veteran politician Alfred Romualdez, the husband of actress Cristina "Kring-Kring" Gonzales and nephew of former Philippine First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos. Failon served in the 12th Congress, but retired at the end of his term in 2004 to resume his broadcasting career at ABS-CBN. He was succeeded by Representative Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, another nephew of the former First Lady.

Awards

Failon has received numerous awards for broadcast journalism, including the KBP Golden Dove Awards, the Catholic Mass Media Awards, the PMPC Star Awards for Television, and the UST TV Awards.

Advocacies

Failon is a respected political commentator, and a renowned advocate of good governance, press freedom, democracy, and social justice. He is an active member of Tacloban Jaycees, the National Press Club, and CIVICOM Inc.

Wife's death

Failon was married to Trinidad Arteche–Etong (1965–2009). On 15 April 2009, Trinidad Etong was rushed to the hospital after sustaining a gunshot wound to the head. She died from her injuries the following day. Failon himself had rushed his wife to the hospital, and subsequently issued a statement saying that he had found his wounded wife in their bathroom after she had used his handgun in a suicide attempt. Hours after the shooting, Failon was arrested, allegedly for tampering with the crime scene, though he was able to leave police custody the following day to be at his wife's bedside. Failon himself denied any involvement in the shooting of his wife, and he tested negative for powder burns in a paraffin test conducted by the Quezon City police.
The family driver and three housemaids of the Failon family were charged by the Quezon City police for obstruction of justice, for allegedly destroying important evidence in the shooting, which occurred at the Failon family home. This was followed by the arrests of Mrs. Failon's brother and sister by the Quezon City police, allegedly also for obstruction of justice.