Luchi Cruz-Valdes retiring from TV5

Luchi Cruz-Valdes, the longtime news chief of TV5, is set to retire. Her last day is on Monday, September 30th.

Cruz-Valdes, now 59, is stepping down after 14 years leading the Kapatid news division.

“I am so proud to have built a pool of anchors and a staple of reporters who just love the network, and love their work, and are loyal, so I’m handling you over to GRZ,” she said in a video uploaded by TV5 anchor Cheryl Cosim, recorded during her recent send-off party.

“And I am so confident that I am handling over a very, very good product,” she added, addressing Guido Zaballero, the president and CEO of TV5, who is expected to take over on an interim basis.

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Media Newser Philippines first hinted at her retirement in December of last year. At that time, sources revealed that discussions between Cruz-Valdes and the TV5 management had already begun, with the plan being for her to retire sometime in 2024.

While no official replacement has been named, the network reportedly began its search as early as last year.

Cruz-Valdes took over News5 in 2010, shortly after business magnate Manny Pangilinan acquired TV5, then known as ABC-5. Early in her tenure, she led the rebranding of the news division, bringing in top ABS-CBN and GMA-7 talents like Cheryl Cosim, Erwin Tulfo, and Paolo Bediones.

That same year, she oversaw the launch of TV5’s then-flagship newscast, Aksyon, as well as other major media assets including AksyonTV, the now-defunct all-Filipino language news channel, and Radyo5, the network’s radio station.

In addition to her behind the scenes role, Cruz-Valdes was also an on-camera presence, co-anchoring Aksyon and Relasyon, and hosting public affairs shows such as Journo, Dokumentado, Anggulo, ReAksyon, KAYA, The Chiefs, Usapang Real Life, and most recently, Budol Alert.

A seasoned journalist, Cruz-Valdes also had stints at both ABS-CBN News and GMA News earlier in her career.