Veteran journalist Twink Macaraig dies

MANILA, Philippines – Veteran journalist Twink Macaraig died after a years-long battle with cancer, her home network News5 announced on Tuesday, January 14.

“Pumanaw na ang veteran journalist at News5 anchor na si Twink Macaraig matapos ang pakikipaglaban sa sakit na cancer (Veteran journalist and News5 anchor Twink Macaraig died after a battle with cancer),” News5 said on its official Facebook page.

“A fighter to the end, rest in peace,” it added.

Macaraig was first diagnosed with cancer in the early 2000s. 

Macaraig was an anchor and senior manager at News5. She was also a columnist of the Philippine Star and a part-time faculty member at the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication.

Prior to her work for News5, Macaraig was the anchor of ANC’s Dateline Philippines and one of the co-hosts of the now-defunct show The Brew.

She was also the Filipino bureau chief of Channel News Asia.

In an opinion piece titled “Why I fight” published in the Philippine Star on March 24, 2019, Macaraig wrote about her illness and likened cancer to President Rodrigo Duterte’s government. 

She wrote: “Because not fighting would ignore the very real option that still exists: the handful of brave, honorable souls putting their lives on the line on the firm belief that the Filipino people can get better; can choose to get better; deserve better. They represent, if not a cure, the lone path to a cure too late for my benefit, perhaps, but for the next generation.”

Macaraig is survived by her husband and son. – Rappler.com