Cheche Lazaro

American-born Filipino journalist

Cecilia "Cheche" Aldaba Lim-Lázaro (born September 8, 1945), is a Filipino broadcast journalist and the founding President of Probe Productions Inc. and Probe Media Foundation.2

From Wikipedia’s article on Cheche Lazaro (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Sep 8, 1945.1

Early life and education

  • Date not recordedPhilippine Women's University3 4
  • Date not recordedUniversity of Michigan3
  • Date not recordedUniversity of the Philippines3

Career

Occupation: journalist, documentarian.8

  • 1967 to 1987Worked at University of the Philippines Diliman5 6
  • Date not recordedFounded Probe Productions7

Lázaro began her career working as a reporter for ABS-CBN. Between July 1986 and December 1987, she became director and manager of the network's Public Affairs department. This allowed her to be appointed team leader and reporter for the network's coverage of President Corazon C. Aquino's visit to Singapore and Indonesia.

Lázaro soon left her position at ABS-CBN in 1988 to create her own production company, Probe Productions, with the help of fellow journalists Luchi Cruz-Valdez and Maria Ressa. This led her to produce several documentary programs such as 5 and Up for ABC (later TV5), The Probe Team, I-Witness and Cheche Lazaro Presents for GMA Network, which eventually became her home network.

There, she was able to produce award-winning documentaries, including one involving the MV Doña Paz maritime disaster. The relationship with the network, however, was strained in 2003 when GMA refused to air a Probe segment about a lifestyle check on PAGCOR Chair Efraim Genuino. The network said that the story was a half-baked job that would unjustly ruin the subject's reputation; Lázaro saw it as censorship. The rift was played out in media, and after 16 years of good relations with GMA, the network pre-terminated the contract of Probe.

Despite this setback, Lázaro returned to the limelight when Probe began reairing on ABC in June 2004. After a year's stay, she decided to go back in 2005 to her channel of origin, ABS-CBN. Between 1992 and 1995, Lázaro was also chairperson of the broadcast department at the University of the Philippines Diliman.

Lázaro as a host has obtained various awards from Philippine award-giving bodies. She has been awarded 'Best News Magazine show host' nine times by the Star Awards. The Probe Team, the first Filipino investigative news magazine for television, has won both local and international recognition. It program received Gawad CCP Para sa Telebisyon "10 Best TV Programs of the Philippine Television" ten times.

Lázaro's last programme with the Probe Production team is Probe Profiles. Their last episode was aired July 1, 2010, and featured the story of President Benigno Aquino III on his candidacy and rise to power that year.

In 2018, Lázaro joined One News (owned by TV5 Network, replacing Bloomberg TV Philippines) as a host for Convo after she left Probe for 8 years and Cheche Lazaro Presents for 4 years.

From Wikipedia’s article on Cheche Lazaro (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Personal life

  • BornSep 8, 1945, Detroit9
  • CitizenshipPhilippines, United States10