Manila: Filipinos mourned the passing of June Keithley-Castro, a popular television personality who, in 1986, risked arrest by the Marcos regime to air clandestine broadcasts calling for an uprising against the dictator.
Keithley-Castro, who died at the age of 66 on November 24, rose to prominence while playing comedy roles in the 1970s but reduced her appearances during the latter part of that decade. She came back into the limelight as a heroine in February 1986 when she, together with a group led by the late Jesuit priest Father James Reuter, aired statements calling for People Power to end the regime from the dzRJ radio station in Pasig.
Unlike most key People Power players who had run for public office or had been given government postings, Keithley-Castro had chosen to maintain a low profile after her act of heroism.
The recognisable voice of Keithley-Castro, with its heavy American accent, had become the sound of defiance of Radyo Bandido (Bandit Radio) after the original radio station located in Malolos City, Bulacan was bombed by forces loyal to then president Ferdinand Marcos.
Keithley-Castro’s broadcast was crucial in bringing down the Marcos regime which at that time, had access to all media broadcasts.
Her bravery would earn her the Legion of Honour medal, the highest award given to civilians.
In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the palace, together with the whole country, mourns the passing of Keithley-Castro.
“June Keithley-Castro’s battle with cancer — which she had waged since 2009 — is at an end. To her last breath she exemplified courage and faith,” Lacierda said.
“Her courage enabled her to confront her illness, but also that of her husband, Angelo Castro Jr, whose death we all mourned in 2012, with dignity and the kind of serenity that can only come from an uncompromising faith in the goodness of God and trust in His plan for all things,” Lacierda said.
Castro, hosted the post Martial Law evening newscast on ABS-CBN, the World Tonight.
“From there, her reawakening to her faith accompanied the period of national redemption and liberation that brought forth the Miracle of Edsa: that peaceful revolution which was marked by her voice on Radyo Bandido,” he said
From the isolation of a radio studio, together with two brave children, Keithley-Castro endured 14 hours to direct rebel forces led by then defence minister Juan Ponce Enrile and Constabulary Chief Fidel V. Ramos, against Marcos followers.
Enrile would become Senator and Ramos, the President in 1992.
According to Lt Col Ramon Zagala, spokesman for the military, Keithley-Castro will be honoured with a gun salute while her remains will be buried on Friday at the Loyola Memorial Park in suburban Marikina City.
