Taruc is the eldest of four children of veteran journalist Joe Taruc and a graduate of broadcasting degree from Centro Escolar University.[1][2][3] He married June, a dentist, and the couple has a son named Luis and daughter named Sofia Gabriela.[4][5] The family lives in Quezon City.[5]
Career
Brigada Siete
In 1994, Taruc worked as a researcher and production assistant for Brigada Siete, an investigative TV show in GMA Network.[6] He made his first news report on a rupture of Mount Parker's crater in South Cotabato that brought flood in the surrounding community.[7]
He received several awards for the documentaries he made for the show, including the 1998 CNN World Report Award/Category: On Going Story for "Comfort Women." In 1999 together with Jessica Soho's "Kidneys for Sale" and "Kamao," his documentary entitled "Mga Batang Alipin", an exploration into the country's child labor through the coverage of forced detention and rescue of child-workers in a fish sauce factory, won the George Foster Peabody award, the first for the country and the GMA Network.[5][8][9] "Mga Batang Alipin" was also a finalist in the New York TV and Film Festival's UNICEF Special Award on that same year and in 2000, it won the Award for Investigative Journalism.[8]
News anchor
Aside from being a beat news reporter, he worked as substitute anchor for 24 Oras, an evening news program, and GMA News TV'sNews to Go.[3][5] He was an anchor of the primetime edition of One Balita Pilipinas on One PH and One News alongside Angela Lagunzad until December 29, 2023.
On March 18, 2024, Taruc became a news anchor of MoJo: Mukha ng Balita on One PH.
In 2004, his work entitled "Batang CP" was a finalist in that year's ABU/CASBAA UNICEF Children's Rights Award. It discussed the plight of children with cerebral palsy and co-hosted by Peter Jonas, cerebral palsy-patient who graduated with honors at the University of the Philippines.[8][11] On the same year, another one of his documentaries named "Basurero" (Scavenger) that depicted extreme urban poverty was the finalist in the New York and Shanghai TV and Film Festival.[6][8]
He received the UNICEF Child Rights Award at the 45th Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union general assembly in Indonesia in 2008 for the i-Witness episode "Batang Kalabaw" (Child Beast of Burden) that he produced. The documentary, which also earned the program the CMMA Best Documentary Show in 2009, focused on the story of a teenage girl named Cherilyn, the breadwinner of a family of five children and absent parents, who traded logs by carrying them in the Agusan del Sur mountains.[6][7][12]
In 2012, he won the Silver World Medal for Documentary at the New York Festivals for the episode "Lapnos," which covered stories of patients at Mindanao Burn Center.[13][14] Two years later, his documentary called "Tarima" that was about the indigenous people in Davao del Norte, Mindanao won the 2014 Gawad Agong award.[15]
Motorcycle Diaries
In interviews, Taruc said that his passion for motorcycles started in 2000 and he preferred them as means of transport. He was also a member of a riders club that traveled around Visayas and Mindanao.[6][16] By July 15, 2011, he hosted the Motorcycle Diaries, a television documentary show on GMA News TV.[3][17] The show's title was inspired by a film of the same title that chronicled Che Guevarra's travel around South America on a bike.[6]
The format showed Taruc riding a motorcycle while covering stories of people and places.[7] According to Aris Ilagan of TopGear, it was the first show in the country that had the format and wrote, "With his deep passion for motorcycles and documentaries, he was able to produce a hit series that earned him a strong following in the motorcycle community."[2] It ended on March 16, 2017, despite high ratings and critical success due to inadequate sponsorship to cover production costs.[2][10]
Ride PH/Ride Radio
He left GMA Network in August 2018 when he had difficulties meeting the demands of work while looking after his daughter who was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy.[3] On August 20, 2017, he co-produced and hosted Ride PH, a half-hour TV show on GMA News TV.[4][10] The program focused on the culture and community of motorcycle riders, road safety, and vehicle maintenance.[2][3]
In 2019, Ride PH finally moved to its new home at One News on airing its show (also broadcast at One PH). Subsequently, he has also a new show at One PH titled Ride Radio which airs every Saturday 5:00 pm.
Awards and Recognition
International Awards
Awards
Year
Description
George Foster Peabody Awards
1999, 2010
Recognized as a part of the I-Witness team for grounbreaking storytelling in broadcast journalism
UNICEF Child Rights Award
2008
For the I-Witness episode Batang Kalabaw, addressing the struggles of child laborers in the logging industry
New York Festivals Silver Medal
2003
For Lapnos, a poignant documentary about burn victims and their path to recovery
National Awards
Awards
Year
Description
Catholic Mass Media Awards
2008
For the I-Witness Batang kalabaw - Best Adult Educational/Cultural Program GMA Network
Catholic Mass Media Awards
2009
For the I-Witness episode Batang Langoy - Best Adult Educational/Cultural TV Program
Gawad Agong Award
2014
For Tarima, a documentary exploring the plight of indigenous communities in the Philippines
Golden Dove Awards
2008
Granted for excellence in TV documentary production, particularly for episodes aired on I-Witness.
