A Tribute to CJ the DJ: Husband, Colleague, Friend

Local airwaves will never be the same again as we recently bid farewell to one of Philippine radio’s finest. With his wife Bea by his side, CJ Rivera passed away peacefully on the morning of August 20 after a brief but brave battle with cancer. 

CJ the DJ’s warm and cheerful voice was one that’s familiar to most after a career on-air that spanned over two decades. Beginning as a radio jock with Monster Radio RX 93.1 in the late ‘90s, what followed was a storied 20-year residency at Magic 89.9 where he eventually also headed music and programming. He also served as station manager for Magic’s sister station 99.5 Play FM from 2018 to 2023.

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Younger audiences will probably remember CJ more from the pre-pandemic club scene as he regularly spun at some of Manila’s hotspots at the time such as Pablo’s, Ocean’s Telephone Co., and Aracama/Early Night? among others. After retiring from radio in 2023, CJ joined the marketing team at Anta Philippines as Brand Activations Manager for the sportswear label. One of his biggest projects with the brand was helping put together NBA players Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney’s visit to Manila last year, which also included a dinner event hosted by Esquire Philippines. In January 2024, CJ was about to begin work on an ambitious campaign for Anta called Project C, which would have rehabilitated 100 basketball courts around the country.

CJ Rivera and his wife Bea

CJ was just 44 and had so many more things he wanted to do in life. Even after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in early February, almost every conversation we would have since then would conclude with him saying how excited he was to come back to the office. “Marami pa tayong gagawin,” he would always say.

One of the things I’ve taken away from losing Ceej so suddenly is how fleeting this life we’re given really is. You get a little bit of time to do what you have to and when the clock runs out, that’s that. You don’t get a do-over. I was one of CJ’s friends that was asked to speak the night before his cremation and I apologize to those who had to sit through that ramble. My thoughts were all over the place, I lacked sleep, and I honestly just really was not prepared to say goodbye to Ceej. A week after we laid him to rest, here’s my attempt at redoing a eulogy.

CJ Rivera at the Anta Basketball Store launch in late 2023

Paying tribute to CJ the DJ

I just got engaged last January and Ceej was one of the people who were the happiest for us. He played a big part in my relationship with Daphne since the very beginning.

Daphne loved the book Crazy Rich Asians. For our first date, Ceej gave me tickets to take her to the Magic 89.9 premiere of the film. He would always tell me how much he liked Daphne for me and how she was good for me. Come to think of it, Ceej pretty much knew she was the one even before I did. He would always remind me how this one was different and to not let her go.

CJ and Bea during their wedding

It’s always easier to listen to someone give directions when they’ve actually already been to where you’re headed. Ceej was there. He had just gotten married to the love of his life in December 2022. He was the most devoted husband I knew, always excited to get home from the office so he could be with Bea. Whenever he would have to work on the weekends for Anta events, you could expect him to bring Bea along more often than not just so he could be with her. He was absolutely head-over-heels in love with his wife and even if everyone knew how passionate he was about his work, Bea was always his priority. Everything else came second. 

Ceej went on leave his very first week on the job to take Bea on a previously scheduled trip to Japan. She was his non-negotiable and for some reason, he was convinced Daphne was mine. Four days after I got engaged, I took both Ceej and our teammate Mais out to celebrate after work. That was a Wednesday. We watched a Magnolia game at Araneta Coliseum and had dinner after. It was also a long overdue Christmas dinner for us since December was really busy because of the holidays and we could never find the time to be complete. Dinner was amazing and we all had so much to eat. Early Thursday morning, Ceej texted me he needed to take the day off because of really bad stomach cramps, which we thought was just from too much gelato with olive oil and sea salt the night before. He was brought to the emergency room that morning and they found water in his lungs. They found out it was cancer two weeks later. 

Being sick didn’t change how invested CJ was with my wedding preparations. He and Bea would send costs from their wedding caterer so we could compare, give recommendations for suppliers, and said he wanted to host the reception. Ceej also always gave great relationship advice, albeit not as good as Bea’s. There was one time my fiancee and I were going through a particularly stressful time, as all couples preparing for their big day sometimes do, and we were on video call while he was in the hospital. I remember him telling me how I should just forget my pride and reach out her, but I was being stubborn. Bea, who was by Ceej’s side as per usual, politely asked if she could share her thoughts. She told me about how she prayed so hard for so long for CJ to come into her life. They were just starting their life together, having been married just a little over a year, when he got sick. She found herself questioning God after she waited so long for CJ to come into her life; why did it feel like God was taking Ceej back so soon? Despite everything, she realized how there are days like that one in the hospital, some are worse when he’s in pain, and some days are a bit better, but no matter what, she takes each one as a blessing because for her, it’s another day she gets to spend with CJ. 

CJ with the author

Everyone knows Ceej was a talker but that was the easy part. What’s more remarkable is how he really listened. We would often have conversations about family and whenever I would open up about my mother, who by the way absolutely adored Ceej and his cooking, he would always remind me how she’s the only one I’ve got and I need to take care of her as much as I can while I still have her. I knew he really loved his mom. He was also an amazing brother to his siblings and he was always good to mine. He was the DJ at my younger sister’s wedding and special occasions were never complete without his salpicao and rigatoni. Family mattered to Ceej until his very last breath. He always wanted me to see how blessed I was with mine. 

Even until now, I still cringe whenever people refer to me as CJ’s boss because, really, I was his little brother and he was the kuya I wish I had. I’ll always be grateful to his longtime co-host on radio Tin Gamboa for introducing us. For some reason, I didn’t think we’d get along initially. Lasalista eh. But man, was I wrong. We became part of the same DJ group, I signed Ceej as an ambassador when I worked with a telco brand where we had an insanely fun weekly live NBA podcast with Tin and a few other great people, and when I finally made the move to Anta, we started Anta Radio with our good friend Rammy Bitong, which is the piped-in music you hear in the 50-plus locations of the brand all over the country.

CJ with his Big Meal co-hosts Riki Flo and Tin Gamboa

You could say we hit it off and along the way, Ceej became like family to me. We all know how friends and work shouldn’t mix. “Don’t work with friends unless you’re ready to risk losing the friendship.” That’s exactly what Daphne told me early last year when Ceej sent in his CV. After 20 years of success in an industry he knew inside-out, it took so much courage and humility for him to start from scratch in retail. I almost always listen to Daph’s advice about work but I’ll always be thankful I didn’t this one time. I was able to spend every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with Ceej until that very last Wednesday we had Christmas dinner in January.

I’ll need to get used to talking about him in the past tense. I’ll miss all the kulitan and how much he tried to give joy to others, even sometimes when he actually needed it more than anyone else. I’ll miss being able to call him and see if he picks up just so I could hear him tell me he loves me at the end of each call, and I could say it right back. I’ll definitely miss his cooking. Thank you for everything, Ceej the Deej. The past couple of weeks showed us the many lives you’ve made a difference in but none as much as the difference you’ve made in mine.