In the complicated world of entertainment, it would only take someone as passionate and as open-minded as Charo Santos-Concio to make it to the top.

Steadily but surely, Charo climbed the corporate ladder - but taking a rather unconventional route. She was first a beauty queen, then an actress (an award-winning at that!), then as a line producer for a number of celebrated Filipino films such as “Himala,’’ “Oro, Plata, Mata’’ and “Misteryo sa Tuwa.’’ And all these started because she was a movie fan!

“I grew up in Calapan, Oriental Mindoro but I’d be here in Manila every summer. Pumipila ako sa gate ng Bohol Ave. now Sgt. Esguerra because I wanted to watch ‘Stop, Look and Listen.’ That was a noontime variety show with Tirso Cruz III,’’ recalls this self-confessed Noranian.

This is the reason, she says, why she understands how fans feel.

“When we try out other pairings, galit yung mga solid Kim-Gerald or John Lloyd-Bea, pero naintindihan ko sila. Pero sabi ko ay naku nagmature ako, magmamature din kayo! It’s a different audience now, they’re more forgiving. They are die-hard fans but if you give them a good story they will also patronize the movie of their idol no matter who the partner is,’’ says Charo.

This movie fan got her big break when she was noticed by the late Lino Brocka after she won the Baron Travel Girl 1976 crown. She went on to star in Mike de Leon’s “Itim,” which won for her numerous recognitions, including a Best Actress Award from the Asian Film Festival. This firmly established Charo in the serious actors circuit.

But of all the roles she played, Charo enjoyed production work the most.

She has actually gone full circle at ABS-CBN. From a young intern who was made to move around huge, heavy cables in the Kanlaon Broadcasting System studios (ABS-CBN in the martial law years), Charo moved on to occupy important executive positions in the network heirarchy. Until finally in March last year, she was appointed president of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp, the fifth president, and the first woman president of the giant network.

On the entertainment side, Charo has been credited for creating ABS-CBN’s top-rated programs and even Star Cinema’s box-office successes.

She is also the brains behind the most successful and longest running TV drama anthology program “Maalaala Mo Kaya” (MMK), which she hosts until now.

Today, Charo is responsible for the total channel programming, on-air operations, and overall revenue and profit delivery of ABS-CBN. And she continues to do what she does best – creating quality television shows that tugs at the heartstrings of the Filipino viewers, here and all around the world. (Jaser A. Marasigan)

CHARO SANTOS CONCIO: Did you know that I used to go a lot to the Bulletin offices? I was a Baron Travel Girl and the Tourism section editor (Romy Navarro) was my uncle. Rikki Jimenez, my designer-
discoverer would sometimes bring me and I would say hello to the editors there. Back then, it was so formal, no ambush interviews. Reporters and editors would set an appointment, they would come over to the house to interview.

SCB: There were no paparazzi then?

CSC: Wala pa. Hindi pa nagpa-flatten ang world noon. (laughs)

SCB: What’s a typical day for you now since you became president of ABS-CBN?

CSC: From the moment I wake up (in sing-song manner) I have leisurely breakfast with my husband, we read the papers, we discuss current events, family matters, etc. or what’s the menu for the week. Then I prepare for work. I’m usually in the office at 10 in the morning. My day starts with meetings and ends with meetings. Kahit na lunch, meeting pa rin!

SCB: Did you expect you would be named president?

CSC: When I was sent for the Advance Management Program by Mr. (Gabby) Lopez and the ABS-CBN board in Boston, I had an inkling, kasi parang they’re preparing you for a much bigger role. Our chairman and CEO spoke to me on the week of our management conference in Baguio and he made the announcement on the last day of the conference.

I was floating on air. (laughs) Magaan na magaan. I relished the moment. I didn’t even think of, ay ano bang gagawin ko tomorrow, president na ako. I knew in my heart I would play a much bigger role in the organization.

SCB: Who was the first person you broke the news to?

CSC: My husband because, you know, he was there in my lowest moments, moments that really mattered in my character formation. Then my two sons. Then I went partying. (laughs)

SCB: Are you not overwhelmed by the responsibility that goes with the position?

CSC: No. It’s not like mag-iibang tao ka. Hindi naman e. I embrace the challenges of the role. I go about my work fulfilling that sense of responsibility and commitment to the organization in the role that I’ve been blessed with.

What was very clear in my heart was that I’m gonna live the mission statement of ABS-CBN, which is to be in service of the Filipino. There’s no place for mediocrity. I still monitor the programs, talk to the executive producers, actors, directors, writers, floor directors. I would go to the banyo here, and if I see there’s kalat there, then they would see my lovely face. (laughs)

SCB: That’s how hands-on you are?

CSC: Yes. I would go to the dressing rooms when I see that the bulbs are kulang-kulang, down to the line of people coming for the auditions and checking if security is in place.

Then there are the major ones, which is to run the operations efficiently. It’s like running a house actually eh. Dapat alam mo kung ilang silya meron ka, kung anong marketing ang ginagawa ng cook mo, yung inuutos mo sa cook mo. Yung isang kilo ba ng baboy, isang kilo ba talaga yan. Are you getting your money’s worth? Being a president, being a leader is not about you, it’s about the organization. Dumadaan lang naman ako dito. One day somebody else will occupy this room.

SCB: What were the major changes you focused on when you became president?

CSC: Cost management. You cannot be wasteful, your processes must be in place to make sure your operations run efficiently. You have to be responsible for the money of the public because this is a publicly-listed company. Kung sa sarili mong bahay, masinop ka, dapat mas masinop ka sa pera ng iba.

It’s not a perfect world. People make mistakes, we continue to make mistakes, and that’s how we learn and become better. I encourage people to take risks because there will be no winners if you are always on the safe side.

SCB: How do you feel when certain projects don’t work out?

CSC: I do a postmortem with the team. And I hope we learn a lesson. Mahirap naman kung walang natutunan. Mahirap yun kung dedma ang beauty! (laughs) You have to see naman na yung pinaghirapan nila at lahat ng pagkakamali ay pinroseso nila at may natutunan sila. But if they don’t learn, that’s when tough love comes in.

SCB: So what’s the Charo Santos-Concio brand of tough love?

CSC: Ay! (laughs) Ano ba yun! You have to be very honest with them when performance appraisal time comes. Being truthful and being honest with a person is the best lesson you can give them. For some people this may not be the best words for them. “Iha, medyo every quarter e nauupo tayo dito?” You give them ample warning. Hindi naman yung one year na pinuri mo ng pinuri tapos after one year ibabagsak mo. You have to give them feedback.

Ano pang dapat mong matutunan? Kung hindi ka natututo, aba’y iha, maybe this is not for you. You may find your wings in another kind of company or another kind of work.

SCB: Did you ever see yourself as an executive especially that you were first an actress?

CSC: No. Artistang-artista ang beauty ko. (laughs) But after five years, I wanted to put to good use what I finished in school which is Communication Arts at St. Paul’s College. When I did the movie “Aguila” for Bancom Audiovision, the head, Jackie Atienza, asked me if I would be interested to do production work just like Ms. Armida Siguion Reyna. Si Ms. Armida would produce her own programs but she’s a performer, a singer, a drama actress, and also delved into production work. I accepted the challenge. It didn’t matter to me that I was already an artista doing production work, I had naman my practicum here.

SCB: Your practicum was here at ABS-CBN?

CSC: Martial law graduate ako, 1976. So when I came here to ABS-CBN, it was already KBS, Kanlaon Broadcasting System, and it was run by the Benedictos. Although lumaki naman talaga akong nanunood ng ABS-CBN programs. Pumipila nga ako diyan sa Bohol Ave.

SCB: Were you a movie fan?

CSC: Yes! Every summer, because I grew up in Calapan, Oriental Mindoro, I’d be here in Manila, pumipila ako sa gate ng Bohol Ave. now Sgt. Esguerra. My uncle Jimmy Navarro was a program director here. So I would make sutsot the guard and tell them I have an uncle here, pakitawagan
naman, sabihin mo nandito yung pamangkin niya, gustong manood ng “Stop, Look and Listen.” I’m sure hindi niyo alam yan. That was a noontime variety show then na ang mga artista nun sina Tirso Cruz III, the Revilla sisters, Jay Ilagan, Jeanne Young. Oh di ba. (laughs) Hanggang nakapasok nga ako dito as a practicumer, as a production assistant.

Uuwi ako ng alas-tres ng madaling araw, nag-eedit, naka-jeep lang ako noon. Ang tapang ko. (Laughs)

SCB: What’s the craziest thing that you have done as a movie fan?

CSC: Hmmm…. Normal naman ako! (laughs) Pero nung si Tirso Cruz III, he was a guest in my show sa Maalala mo Kaya, there was one scene na yayakapin ko siya. Diyos mio! Sabi ko, “Haaay…” Ni hindi ko lubos maisip na one day, mayayakap ko si Tirso Cruz III! (laughs) Eh idol na idol ko yun.

SCB: Hindi ba kayo nakipag-away sa mga Vilmanians?

CSC: Medyo. (laughs) Di ba noon yung tuksuhan, yung mga laitan? Ganun lang pero not to the point of sabunutan. Yung sa Operetang Putol-Putol? Basta noon may mga Sunday show sina German Moreno, the late Ike Lozada, the late Inday Badiday. Yung radyo namin sa probinsya, yung ate ko kasi has a radio, eh di baterya lang yun, eh minsan maraming interference kaya yung signal nawawala. Yung mga pinsan namin sa Manila, mga sosyal, nababaduyan sila sa mga local programs
pero kapag commercial, they want to see what the other stations are showing. Kapag dumadaan sa Superstar, lahat kami, “Haay!” (stands up and sits down slowly). Eh hindi naman kami maka-out na Noranian kasi nababaduyan nga sila sa mga local shows, na parang, “You're so baduy!” So ngayon, when we look back, kapag nag-uusap kaming magkakapatid, tawa kami ng tawa. Tapos ito pala ang kapalaran namin.

SCB: How would you compare the young stars then and now?

CSC: Naku, wala kaming studio system. I think there were a lot more roles then. But now there’s a lot more freedom, kids are more assertive and they know what they want. Also, you’re exposed to a lot more such as the Internet kesa nung kabataan namin, books lang kung may pambili ka. Eh kung wala, public library. Ang sources of information ninyo, the well of information that you have, hay naku! Isang payo eh namnamin ninyo. Ako, I used to listen to Tiya Dely, Helen Vela, Augusto Victa, yung boses niya parang Piolo Pascual ang dating eh. Sumulat ako sa kanya at humihingi ako ng autographed pictures nung araw.

SCB: How was the Oscar (Academy Awards) experience, you being a movie fan?

CSC: Siyempre ‘yung leeg ko nanghahaba (laughs). I wanted to see my idols in person. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were really very charming and elegant. Meryl Streep, my idol, she has this aura of serenity, she’s so secure about her place under the sun, parang I’m here not to compete with anyone. “I am me and I’m okay with it” parang ganyan siya. The sexiest man alive (Hugh Jackman) was a great host and a great performer.

This is US entertainment, Hollywood production, you can really see excellence. They give the audience what the audience deserves. ‘Yun ang lagi kong sinasabi, it’s the respect that you give your audience that’s the most important thing.

Fan kasi ako eh, so alam ko ang pakiramdam, lumaki ako, bigyan ninyo ako ng magandang show kasi ‘pag inidolo ko naman kayo forever. Diba ‘yung ganyan, so I deserve that, respetuhin ninyo ako kasi nagbabayad ako sa sinehan ninyo, mataas ang ratings ninyo, di ba? Bigyan ninyo ako ng magandang performance, whether writer, director ka down to PA. The water that you serve your star that would make your star the best and give her best performance, it could make all the difference in the mood that will create or destroy the project. Lahat yan magkakadugtong.

SCB: But you really like production work?

CSC: I do. I immersed in the movie production projects of Ms. Armida Siguion Reyna like “Pag-ibig Na Walang Dangal,” where I was also an actor. I was very observant, taking note how Armida was running the production. Sabi ko, kaya ko din ‘to. And then, finally, “Kisapmata” was given to me as my first line production project.

SCB: …where you were one of the main actors…

CSC: Yeah. Ang hirap, first line production ko and then umaarte pa ko. In one scene, nakalimutan ko yung continuity ng blouse ko! Kasi iniintindi ko catering, transportation, the logistics, making sure all the artists were comfortable, and that all requirements were met.

Kaya nakalimutan ko yung blouse ko nasira ang continuity, nagalit si Mike de Leon (director of “Kisapmata’’). Pinack-up ang shooting! Mike de Leon was a disciplinarian, he ran the set like a German chancellor (laughs). I had to apologize to the late Vic Silayan, the late Charito Solis, the late Jay Ilagan. Ako na lang yata ang buhay. Saka si Ruben Rustia. Napanood niyo ba yun?

SCB: Siya lang po. (points to one of the SCB staff)

CSC: Naku ha.. kayo ha.

SCB: Noranian din po siya.

CSC: Noranian ka rin? Idol ko si Nora. May album pa ko na Guy and Pip nung araw. Nagsisisi ako that I gave the albums away. I would buy pictures sa Quiapo ni Nora and Tirso. Opening ng movie nila, nasa Maxim Theater ako, sa Miramar sa Recto ave., sa Gotesco, Cinerama. First day ha. 9 o’clock opening ng gates, 8 o’clock nakapila ako. I was a fan! Nakikinig ako kay Inday Badiday, kay German Moreno.

SCB: So you understand how fans feel?

CSC: Oh yes. When we try out other pairings, galit yung mga solid Kim-Gerald or John Lloyd-Bea, pero naiintindihan ko sila. Pero sabi ko ay naku nagmature ako, magmamature din kayo (laughs). It’s a different audience now, they’re more forgiving. They are die-hard fans but if you give them a good story they will also patronize the movie of their idol no matter who the partner is.

SCB: Aside from Kisapmata, what other movies were you part of as a production person? Which of those are you especially proud of?

CSC: For the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines, I line/executive produced ‘Himala’, ‘Oro, Plata, Mata,’ and ‘Misteryo sa Tuwa’. I also worked for Regal Films for two years. Mother Lily was a big influence in my life. As a producer, she taught me how to balance quality and commercialism.

“Oro’’ was a period piece and was therefore a big challenge. I also did several action films. I was pregnant and I was going location hunting, umaakyat ako ng bundok. One time, yung kay Victor Corpuz movie, I went to the military to request for firearms and planes. May eksena na lilipad ang planes kasabay lalakad ang bapor sa ibaba. Dapat timing, naka-set up yung limang cameras kasi ang binayaran mo lang limang ikot lang.

Diyos ko, at 10 in the evening, sinabi sa akin na nag-back out yung barko. Eh at 10 in the evening sino ang kakausapin ko sa military, sa Clark?! I had to go to Navotas Shipping Port and wait for the first barko na dumaong ng 2 a.m. and I had to beg, “Please po, maawa na po kayo.” Ganyan, nakaupo ako doon, naghihintay talaga ako, surrounded by fishermen. (laughs)

SCB: But you enjoyed what you were doing?

CSC: Oo naman, sa akin walang mababaw na trabaho. Imagine I had to negotiate and pay for the catch of the day! Pero nung lumilipad na yung mga eroplanong ganyan, haping-happy na ako! (laughs) Yung mga war scenes, ang bala binabayaran per piraso and being producer, I was in-charge of budget. Binibilang ko ang bawat putok. “Hoy, hindi lima, pang tatlo lang ang budget ko!” (laughs) Daanin na lang sa sound effects! (laughs)

Yung mga stuntmen, kapag lulundag from tall buildings, mas mahal. Or when they go from one bubong to another. Sasabihin ko, “Direk, puwede bang dalawang bubong na lang ang talunan huwag na lima?” Kasi mahal eh. I’m the first to arrive on the set, ahead of the unit because I wanna make sure that the unit arrives on time. I’m bringing that with me now, to this day. It’s work ethic eh.

THE RELUCTANT ACTRESS

SCB: What did you enjoy more, acting or production work?

CSC: Parang production. I was a reluctant actress because I did not really enjoy giving up my privacy for a very public life. Calling ko na yata yung orchestrating things from behind the cameras. Looking back, it prepared me for my role now because I understand all aspects.

SCB: Why did you say you were a reluctant actress when you were very good at it?

CSC: I grew up watching movies in the theater in a small town like Calapan. Every Saturday, my father would bring us, anim na magkakapatid, five girls and a boy to the theater and would watch all the double features. So alam ko lahat ng pelikula ni Robert Mitchum, John Wayne, yung mga pelikula nila Jess Lapid, Zaldy Zshornack, basta yung double feature sa probinsya (laughs).

But hindi ko naman naisip na ‘ay gusto ko mag-artista na katulad nila,’ fan lang kasi ako eh. But when we would come home, my father would sit down with us and dissect the story. May guessing
game pa yan eh, sino yung killer? We would guess and he’d say we’re wrong. Tatanungin namin bakit? And he would show us the clues. Kasi ito yung clues na prinovide ng mga scriptwriters at director di ba, the story was unfolding to lead to the solution of the mystery. On hindsight, those storytelling moments with my father and siblings prepared me for this role in entertainment and media.

Yung pagka-fan ko brought me to acting The morning after I won the Baron Travel Girl, the late Lino Brocka called me up: “Hi Charo, I saw you last night. Congratulations, you deserve the title. By the way, you don’t know me but I’m calling for my friend Mike de Leon. He’s looking for a fresh face to play the role of the female lead in his first directorial job. He was my cinematographer in Maynila sa Kuko ng Liwanag. Would you like to go for auditions?”

Sabi ko “Haaaaaaahhhhh!? Lino Brocka on the phone?” Hello! Eh estudyante lang ako sa St. Paul’s nagbibigay yan ng talk! Fan nga ako eh! Sabi ko, “Ok, I’ll ask permission from my parents.”

My mother was encouraging me, my father was very conservative. Hindi puwedeng magpelikula ang mga anak ko. He said “I cannot imagine my daughter being kissed on the big screen.”

I told him “You know I’m not gonna lose anything. Just because I go for the auditions doesn’t mean I’m gonna get the role. Let me go even for the experience.”

I landed the role. Kasi yung audition piece, yung Teresa in “Itim”, probinsyanang probinsyana. Yung audition piece na binigay sa akin sosyal, a girl who smokes, Inglisera. Eh ni hindi ako marunong magsindi, marunong ako pag magluluto, pero pag magsisigarilyo ka hindi ko alam. So Take 1, bali ang posporo.

Take 2, bali na naman ang posporo. Take 3, basta something would always happen. After the fourth take, sabi ni Mike de Leon, ah alisin mo na lang yung sigarilyo. Direcho na sa eksena. So yung Take 5 ang pumasa na. Two days later, I got a call. Sabi niya “You’re Teresa, you passed the auditions.”

SCB: So why do you think you got the role?

CSC: Mike said “Do you know why you got the role? Because we were looking for somebody who can portray the probinsiyana role effortlessly (laughs).” Ayun. Totoong laking probinsiya pala yung nakuha nila!

SCB: And your dad?

CSC: When I got the role he said, “Ok but this is your first and your last.” I said yes. But then he passed away after that first movie. And I obeyed him. I flew to New York and looked for a job and I was accepted as an executive assistant at the United Nations.

SCB: But you didn’t stay long in the US?

CSC: Na-miss ko ang tatay ko. So before I start my work in New York, I wanted to go back and see my family, and that’s when my dad passed away at 49 from cerebral hemorrhage. I was 22 then.

SCB: Was that a turning point in your life?

CSC: Yes. I decided to go back to the movies. But in my heart, meron akong hinahanap na iba and it was never about making money and seeking fame. I think I was looking for something that’s more than just having a job.

I found that here in ABS-CBN, being able to touch the lives of people through good stories, being able to share insights and values to our youth, to our public. It gives me a great sense of fulfillment.

It’s not the kind of contribution that leaders of countries or big organizations would make, pero sa akin, it’s very subliminal, it’s character formation.

I want to offer hope and inspiration to our people, that it’s always good to dream, it’s always good to aspire for the best.

SCB: Was it hard to go from being an actress to being a producer?

CSC: Not really. I don’t look at the hirap, I look at the learnings. I have the mind of a student, I’m forever curious. I’m comfortable about the fact that I don’t know everything.

There are people who are subject matter experts in areas na hindi ko alam at hindi ako magaling. At hindi ako natatakot magtanong. I am comfortable with that.

IN THE SERVICE OF TODAY’S AUDIENCE

SCB: Is it harder to please the audience now?

CSC: Ako yung audience of before ano? (laughs) Pero ako rin yung audience of now kasi forever young ang puso ko! (laughs) Pero kailangan alam ko ang feel niyo kasi kung out of touch na ako, it’s time for me to retire.

The audience of every generation differs.

Shows and the context of the shows change. Technology plays a major role in how content is delivered. But a good story in the 30s is the same as a good story in this time. Iba lang ang form, ang delivery. But a good love story is a good love story. “An Affair to Remember”? Iniiyakan ko yan, yung black and white ni Deborah Kerr at ni Cary Grant. Ganon din kapag nanood ako ng “You Changed My Life” saka “A Very Special Love”. Kilig din ako. Ang paghanga ko noon sa mga artista, ganyan pa rin ako.

SCB: Is it more difficult to get the attention of the audience now?

CSC: The most difficult audience is the teens. Multi-tasking yan at hindi pa alam ang gusto. Every minute nagpapalit. They get distracted.

SCB: How does the company get the attention of the teen set, especially they’re a large audience and they’re so fickle? Yet most of the teen idols are here! How do you study what today’s teens want?

CSC: You have to have the right idol. Una sa teen ang form. But at the end of the day, you have to give them a good story that resonates with them. We study our market very hard, we have to know who our customers are, what they want, what they’re looking for, and incorporate all our learnings in the weaving of our soaps and teleseryes. And I have to say na medyo kumapal ang audience segmentation for that segment. For a while iniwan nila kami, but now it’s back, so parang nakukuha
namin ulit yung hinahanap nila.

SCB: What exactly are today’s teenagers looking for?

CSC: Ay, kilig! (laughs) They romanticize kasi in their minds and hearts. Eto yung stage kasi ng first love, first break-up! Haaay! And then their angst. And what is the angst, really, of a young person? Give me my space. Respect my person.

SCB: How is that reflected in the shows of ABS-CBN?

CSC: It’s really understanding the mind of a teener. And you will see that with how the stories unfold and how the characters are made up. But you really can’t put people in a box. These are the general descriptions or characteristics of a teener, but they are different from one another. You consider these differences also to form characters in a story.

SCB: When it comes to competition, are you more conscious now?

CSC: Yes, of course. It’s healthy. It keeps people on their toes. It keeps them grounded.

WIFE, MOM, SISTER

SCB: How is your working relationship with your sisters who also work at the network?

CSC: Naku, they find me too harsh. (laughs)

SCB: Most of them also went into television and movies?

CSC: Oo eh, parang ganun na nga ang nangyari. Kasi ang influence ng tatay ko, napakalaki. Eh kasalanan niya kasi dinadala niya kami every Saturday…e di ba? Eh laman kami ng sinehan, ayun, ganun ang nangyari.

SCB: What was the work of your parents?

CSC: My father was a doctor, a general surgeon and my mother was a teacher. Sa UST sila nag-meet! (laughs)

SCB: Sino ang mas mahilig sa movies?

CSC: Yung tatay ko. Nung lumalaki sila, laman yan ng mga zarzuela (laughs). Tapos yun, nag-meet sila sa UST. Ang gwapo ng tatay ko tapos ang nanay ko very charming. Very passionate people.

SCB: How do you spend your free time with your family?

CSC: Naku, malalaki na kasi ‘yung mga anak ko eh, they’re 25 and 23. We used to travel, that was bonding time for us.

SCB: How are you as a mom?

CSC: Nung mga bata sila, tuwing magbibiyahe kami wala mga maids ‘yan, tinuturuan ko mag-set ng table, maghugas ng mga plato, mag-throw ng garbage di ba. Sinasabi ko, you have to treat your wives how your father treated your mother and he respected my person. He told me that before I’m a wife and a mother, I’m a person, hindi pwedeng mga slaves ang mga asawa ninyo. (laughs)

SCB: Do you still find time to read?

CSC: I read five books at a time, ‘pag hindi ko type masyado kasi di ba sometimes you read one chapter which will bore you, I go to the next book.

SCB: Fiction or non-fiction?

CSC: Both. I’m now reading the biography of Ted Turner. I love biographies and autobiographies, you’ll learn so much from real life. You’ll learn so much of the struggles of people, you pick up those lessons.

I’m a bit introspective, namumuni-muni ko ‘yun eh, kunwari somebody talks about his struggle or the pain that he went through, all the challenges, it’s good for the soul, you look deeper, beyond the surface.

SCB: What are your guilty pleasures, or obsessions maybe?

CSC: Mahilig ako maglinis ng bahay, OC (obsessive compulsive) ba ang tawag dun? I love to fix the house, I want to make sure that everything is in order. I live in a 50-year old house but I’m very careful in maintaining it because gusto mo naman maayos.

I enjoy shopping abroad because here hindi ko masyadong nagagawa. ‘Pag nagsho-shopping ako lahat I try, ‘yung I’m the type na uy, ano ‘to, bago ‘to, try ko nga, ganun ako. Brands do not matter to me, I can go with the local stuff and I can go for the expensive brands.

SCB: Both of your sons are working?

CSC: Yes. Dapat naman. One is running a franchise and the younger one is with ING.

SCB: Do you give them tips or do they ask you for advice?

CSC: Children don’t usually listen to the advice of their parents, di ba? ‘Yun ang natural dynamics ng anak sa magulang. Tayo ang pinakikinggan natin mga mentors natin, teachers natin, many years later, uy sinabi rin ito ng magulang ko sa amin.

But I never give up, even if they may show that they are not interested or they don’t care to listen I will always be a parent to them and I will always give my two cents worth, whether they like it or not, hoping that one day when they become parents or when they go through their challenges in life, my words would resonate. Ganun naman ‘yun diba? But my sons are very good, they are very good sons.

HIGHER HEIGHTS

SCB: Where are you taking ABS-CBN?

CSC: We want to be able to give content to everyone, however you want it, whenever you want it in whatever form you want it. ‘Yan, di ba, para sa mga anak ninyo.

SCB: How are you going about that? With bigger presence online?

CSC: Well, the digital technology is here and sooner or later, andiyan na rin kami. We already made a lot of studies, researches, we’re doing also a lot of ground work, testing digital technology. I think the next generation of leaders should be those who know how to repurpose content, somebody who understands new media.

SCB: What’s the biggest contribution of ABS-CBN to the Filipino youth?

CSC: I want to think that ABS-CBN programs inspire the youth, give that inspiration to dream for a better life, for them and for their family. Majority of the audience of ABS-CBN or mainstream television for that matter, since news and entertainment is free on mainstream television, is ‘yung mahihirap talaga. It’s the C, D, E segment of our society, which is our society, diba, it’s not the A, B, they have their choice, they have their cable, they have their Internet, their DVD, their books. The A and B has so many choices but the poor families of our country has little.

I’m proud to say that we instill the value of hope and inspiration for them to continue to dream for a better life. And to recognize the values that really matter in life. Iisa lang naman ‘yan, ‘pag bali-baliktarin mo man ang mundo di ba, whether you are in the US, New Zealand, the Philippines, or in China, in Russia, what are these values? These are the values of love, integrity in one’s life, speaking the truth, compassion for others. Iba-iba lang ang hulma natin, iba-iba lang ang kultura natin, iba-iba lang ang panahon na kinalakihan natin pero those values are universal. That’s what we want to teach the young.

(Interview by RACHEL C. BARAWID, ANGELO G. GARCIA, INA R. HERNANDO RONALD S. LIM, JASER A. MARASIGAN)