By the age of fifteen, Balbastro was covering the entertainment beat for the Philippine Free Press and the Kislap-Graphic.
[1] He graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Law in 1962, and worked for ten years in the Commission of Elections (COMELEC) with stints in Vigan and Romblon.
Balbastro hosted a showbusiness-themed radio program, Showtime with Billy, which aired over DZMM.
He also was a member of the Committee for Cinema of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.
Billy Balbastro died from lung cancer on February 2, 2008, in Parañaque.