Biography

Enrico de Jesus Puno (Tagalog: [ˈɛnɾɪkɔ de ˈhɛsus ˈpʊnɔ]; February 13, 1953 – October 30, 2018), better known as Rico J. Puno (Tagalog: [ˈɾɪkɔ dʒeɪ ˈpʊnɔ]), was a Filipino singer, television host, actor, comedian and politician. He was considered as a music icon in the Philippines. He started the trend of incorporating Tagalog lyrics in his rendition of the American song "The Way We Were" and other foreign songs. Puno was known as a singer who regularly infused his on-stage performance with tongue-in-cheek comedy and adult humor. He hosted the noontime variety show Pilipinas Win na Win alongside Rey Valera, Marco Sison, and Nonoy Zuñiga for two months in 2010 replacing Kris Aquino. He also hosted on Happy Yipee Yehey! together with John Estrada, Randy Santiago, Mariel Rodriguez, Pokwang and Toni Gonzaga as one of the main hosts replacing Pilipinas Win na Win.

Puno was also active in politics. In 1998, he was elected as the city councilor of Makati from its 1st district until his third and last term ended in 2007. He ran for a comeback in 2010 as the vice mayoralty candidate of Makati, but was unsuccessful. In 2016, Puno was elected as a councilor in Makati, under the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), until his death. Puno was born in Manila to Felipe Puno Sr. and Corazon J. Puno. He attended Victorino Mapa High School. Although he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Philippine School of Business Administration, Puno dreamed of becoming a singer.