Mario Dumaual

Mario Velasquez Dumaual (July 31, 1958 – July 5, 2023) was a Filipino writer and journalist, best known as an entertainment reporter for ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs.

Education and personal life
Dumaual studied at the University of the Philippines Los Baños, where he served as a campus journalist, specializing in sports. He graduated in 1975.

Dumaual married Cherie Pamittan in 1987. They had five children (including son and ABS-CBN News reporter Miguel Dumaual) and three grandchildren.

Career
Dumaual started his career as a staff writer for the Ministry of Agriculture. Later, he worked at a financing company and then a shipping company.

In 1982, he was hired by the Times Journal as their entertainment reporter, where he was assigned to cover the Manila International Film Festival.

While working as a columnist for the newspaper Malaya, Angelique Lazo (entertainment anchor of the flagship news program TV Patrol) offered him a job at ABS-CBN.

Dumaual was honored with a star at the Eastwood City Walk of Fame, in recognition of his contributions to the Philippine entertainment industry.

Illness and death
On June 5, 2023, he suffered a heart attack and was confined at the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City. During his confinement, it was discovered that he was also suffering from a severe fungal infection.

A month later, he died due to septic shock on July 5, at the age of 64. His death was announced in a statement released by his family. He was buried on July 9 at the Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina.

Awards

 * Joe Quirino Memorial Award, 5th Entertainment Editors’ Choice Awards - presented by the Society of Philippine Entertainment Editors (2022)
 * Eastwood City Walk of Fame (2023)