Revolutionizing movie reporting

Revolutionizing Philippine entertainment news wasn’t and still isn’t bucking the system.

It wasn’t and still is, enhancing it.

“Wasn’t” because it was our common goal when we started “Star News,” a segment of the primetime news show of ABS-CBN in 1987.

“Isn’t” because it is, however, a personal pursuit. All of these are ideals to this day, to this moment.

“We” included its news anchor Angelique Lazo, head writer Joel Saracho, field reporters and writers Francis O. Villacorta, Marìo V. Dumaual and myself.

To begin with, the concept of “tabloid-on-air” on TV was adapted by marketing geniuses Freddie Garcia and Rolly Cruz.

“Tabloid-on-air”

“Tabloid-on-air” means down-to-earth, for real, compelling, direct, raw, emphatic etc.

Angelique, fresh from her Ateneo de Manila University communication arts undergrad course, was an idealist although she had her head over her shoulders.

She knew too well the intricacies and politics in the broadcast arts, aware that the movie beat was taunted as bakya (wooden slippers) which could mean kitsch, scandalous, salacious and everything sensational if not yellow journalism.

In the eyes of the high-heeled society, movie news is lowly and not to be taken seriously, what more, if colleagues in the media itself would brand it as third-rate stories, nonsense and just plain fillers and shenanigans. 

She might be prim and proper, not to mention, religious, but Angelique was exposed to the realities if not follies of life, in general, through watching TV, readings, first-hand reports, direct experiences and the likes.

Jik (her nickname) wanted to elevate movie reporting to a higher level of discussion without being alienating or intellectualizing.

“Entertainment news isn’t gossip. They are also slices of shared lives,” she opined during those times we were already airing.

We had to contend with misimpressions, biases, and misjudgments from the same media people we moved around with.

One day, Claude Vitug, reporter of DZMM would tease, chucklingly jeered us and taunted the word “chismis” to our faces as we passed by his office on our way to the studio on board.

No to gossip

“No. We don’t churn out gossip,” Jik defended in her own charming way.

How can audio-visual images be rumors and unverified facts when there were talking heads or in the absence of soundbites, a valid proposition or even an opinion based on philosophy or theory, or simply tradition and logical individual thoughts?  

One of the novelties if not evolvements we would like to infuse on entertainment bits and pieces on TV, consciously or unconsciously, was Angelique herself. She was and still is, a news hen, a development, a harbinger, a catalyst etc., and to say the least, a personable woman.

Bringing in a showbiz news story in the light of a socio-political context was, and still is, a valid reason, an oasis in a desert of liberating ideas, pure emotions, and humanist intentions.

I remember I had to chase 1979 Miss International Melanie Marquez at a KBL or Marcos loyalists’ rally and vented in public her thoughts and feelings on a particular compensation or cover the march of Alsa Masa supporters in defiance of the censor’s rating on Mohamad Faizal’s (a Tagalog actor who sported a Muslim name in the game of glitz and glam) movie juxtaposing Lorette Rosales’ pieces of her brains or to ambush Kris Aquino about an alleged liaison with basketball hero Alvin Patrimonio, and many more hot items and controversies.

Despite the vagaries, “TV Patrol”’s “Star News” had persisted in the system.

What system are we talking about?

A system of Filipino sensibilities and sensitivities, and nothing more,

“Star News” as radical element

We reflect on them and “Star News” was a radical element.

At the recent gathering of past and present media workers of ABS-CBN Integrated News and Current Affairs at the Dolphy Theater, a tribute of sorts before the iconic tower and the front of the Lopez estate along Sgt. Esguerra are demolished, memories are not crashed but laid bare for the audience to ponder.

Angelique wrote on her social media spaces: “At the Balik-Tahanan Reunion of the Lumang Tao and Batang ABS-CBN of the Integrated News and Current Affairs Department, the OG Star News Team had our own mini reunion. Meet the tight-knit group who revolutionized entertainment news reporting: Julianito V. Villasanta, Joel Saracho, Obette Serrano and Bodjie Gonzales, our often stressed VTR editor. Missing Mario Dumaual and Roland Lerum.”

This says it all.

•    •    •

Because Korina Sanchez and Julius Babao are part of the reunion but obviously, they were nowhere at the time the issues thrown to them were burning, news great Charie Villa in her speech informed she’d tackle the headline in her podcast with fellow broadcast journalists.

Whether the accusations of “bribery” against Korina and Julius are true or false, the crux of the matter is a collective and national introspection needed.

Senatorial candidate Heidi Mendoza, who fought a good poll fight, is very influential in her statement about lifestyle checks among public servants and the citizens in general—conscience check, she said, first and foremost.

And as Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto articulated: “Pinabayaan nating lahat (We let them happen),” he said, more or less. “Bahagi tayong lahat nito (We are all part of these),” he added.

Let us talk about it openly and work on another plan to solve the root cause of the problem no matter how difficult and tedious to, at least, lessen the burden.

For the world will never run out of crooks.