Mikee Reyes, also known as Tito Mikee online, proudly showed off his tattooed arms while reporting in the television newscast Frontline Pilipinas on Wednesday, June 14.
“I go on Primetime TV every night, and they tell me to show them off!” Mikee wrote in his TikTok post.
“To those who are judged for having tattoos, it never stopped me, so it shouldn’t stop you,” he added.
Before Mikee’s career in newcasting, he was a former basketball player for the collegiate sports team of the University of the Philippines (UP) known as the Fighting Maroons. At 5’9″, sports news outlet OneNews Sports regarded the former maroon as the star guard of his team.
In 2015, he began his journey as a sports analyst covering the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s basketball for seven years.
He then hosted a podcast titled Shoot First!, together with fellow point guard Javi Palaña, where they discussed topics and debated on all things sports, including a segment called WRU Now? (Where Are You Now?) which became popular for its focus on the perspective of athletes’ lives apart from and after basketball.
Mikee’s hours-long discussions with guest players and athletes are also uploaded on his Youtube channel Shoot First Podcast.
Together with Mikee, Kaladkaren is also marking “herstory” in the local news industry as the first transgender news anchor. TV5 announced the two will be joining Frontline Pilipinas as its new anchors last June 12.
“I didn’t even know it was that big a deal. ? You’d be surprised what you can do when you just be you. ?? Keep going, people! Kita kita sa taas,” Mikee wrote on his shared post from Philippine Star.
“? PS. Di ko sinasabing magpa-tattoo kayo! Para lang klaro, wala ako diyan! ???,” he jested in the end.
