Julius Babao

Career

Julius Babao started out his career for RPN-9 as a news reporter for NewsWatch when Harry Gasser was still lead anchor in 1988.

He later hosted the daily early morning program Alas Singko Y Media (English: Five-thirty in the morning) from 1996 to 2001, where he would meet his co-host and soon-to-be wife Christine Bersola. The couple then went on to host a daily morning talk-show called Talk TV from 2001 to 2004. The talk show was ultimately cancelled to pave way for Morning Girls with Kris and Korina.

Babao was then transitioned into the weekday edition of the station's flagship news program TV Patrol in April 2003. In 2004, he and his wife launched a morning radio program for DZMM entitled Magandang Morning with Julius and Tintin. Their morning radio program would be coincided by Radyo Patrol Balita: Alas Siyete (Radio Patrol News: Seven O'Clock), the newscast they are anchoring every weekends. In 2006, he was appointed as one the hosts of public-affairs program XXX: Exklusibong, Explosibong, Exposé where they investigate anomalies and irregularities of public and private practices in the Philippines, he normally joins the field and/or entrapment operations conducted by the law enforcement agencies. While on a week-long vacation, Babao left TV Patrol alongside Karen Davila on November 5, 2010 for Bandila.

On January 10, 2011, he began anchoring Aksyon Ngayon (Action Today) with Kaye Dacer and Radyo Patrol Balita: Alas Dose (Radio Patrol News: Twelve O'Clock), both airing every weekdays.

Controversy

In October 2005, news surfaced where Julius Babao was allegedly linked to a suspected terrorist named Tyrone del Rosario Santos (alias: Dawud Santos). The reports surfaced when Dawud was released by the authorities on April 22, 2008 and was said to leave the detention center in an ABS-CBN owned van with Babao. In an intelligence report, Babao has been suggested to have paid the bail bond or the very least guaranteed the bail in order to gain an exclusive interview with the suspect. An investigation team was put together by ABS-CBN to look into the allegations made by the ISAFP, no further charges was made, clearing Babao of any allegations.

Awards

Julius Babao was awarded best male newscaster in the 2008 PMPC Star Awards for TV, he also won again in 2009 from the same award-giving body, he also won best morning show host in the years 1999 and 2000 respectively from the same award-giving body. In 2008, Babao was also presented the student’s choice of male news and public affairs host at the USTv Student’s Choice Awards and he was also honoured as one of the most admired male TV Personalities for the 2008 Anak TV Seal, an award given annually by the Southeast Asian Foundation for Children and Television to kid-friendly TV programs and personalities considered to be good influence on children. He was also a two time awardee of Most Outstanding Male News Presenter (2007 and 2009) of COMGUILD Center for Journalism.

Personal life

Julius Babao is a graduate of Mass Communications, majoring in film and audio visual communication, from the University of the Philippines (UP)-Diliman campus. He is married to his once former co-host Christine Bersola, they have a daughter named Antonia and a son named Antonio born in 2010.

The couple has also raised Siberian Huskies namely Krystal and Kamatz. The dogs gave birth to 3 off-springs in 2003 which were named Frankie, Ebony and Naoimi. Julius and Christine are also avid art collectors where their collection was mostly bought from the Boston Gallery owned by Dr. Joven Cuanang. On July 2008 at the advent of Julius’ 40th birthday, the couple auctioned-off paintings from 125 participating artists at the Pinto Art Gallery, the proceeds went to the development of the Art 40 Village located at Bagong Silang, Caloocan City.