Bloom where you're planted

I spoke with my editor, Nathalie Tomada, about how to best treat my comeback article. After all, to say it has been a while since my last column saw print is an understatement. So much has happened since I last wrote here, and if I remember it correctly, it was all about my taking a leave from television to join an international company. I even quoted Tuesdays with Morrie author Mitch Albom by saying, "don't let go too quickly but don't hold on too long," to describe my stint with ABS-CBN, which spanned more than a decade. I chose not to hold on that long to that international company. And fortunately, so many wonderful and worthwhile opportunities have come my way since then.

To "bloom where I was planted" can only be true about my recent experience. I joined the prestigious network via its Regional Network Group back in 1994, and to have returned to my "roots," where my talents and more importantly, my person, had always been valued and respected, proved to be one of my wisest career moves.

God knows what it took a struggling probinsyana like me to get noticed in this dog-eat-dog world, as some would refer to the entertainment industry. For someone who was never fortunate enough to acquire appropriate education, let alone truly enjoy the basic right to comfortable living conditions, sharing the same stage with some of the finest in the industry is a personal feat in itself that I still cannot fathom to this moment. For this, I sincerely thank God because even during times when life seemed to deprive my siblings and I of everything purportedly fundamental; He was a constant and faithful presence.

Next to God, I thank some members of my biological family whose friendships I am very proud of despite all the dark times we have had to go through. I thank real friends who over the years have turned into family. For a single mom like me, for so many times, you have provided shelter and pampering that you did not have to, but gave away so freely. Thank you for sharing your homes my daughter Aira and me!

I thank my ever-supportive Kapamilya Network, especially ABS-CBN Central Visayas, which has been my home for 14 years (and counting!). I am so blessed to belong to such a family: one that has helped me develop my personality and potentials by providing numerous chances for growth via its many entities and subsidiaries as well as making me realize a lot about what I can do and what I can still improve on.

Perhaps my media experiences in its various formats, from sports or courtside reporting to hosting variety and talk shows, have turned me into a "writer," which my The FREEMAN family refers to me, and which is a dream they realized after they opened their doors for me to be an entertainment columnist nearly two years ago. And like what I've said before, The FREEMAN made me realize that I too, have what it takes to express my thoughts through writing-and making it fit for public consumption. And so I'm calling this article-a homecoming-of-sorts.

In view of this God-commissioned freedom to write, I think I'm ready to tell you about a house that proved to be a home despite my very short 12-day stay-the Pinoy Big Brother house or Ang Bahay Ni Kuya. One may wonder: why do I consider it a home when I was practically living with strangers? Ironically, it was where I learned to dig deeper to re-discover certain facets of my personality that I was not able to face for so long, including intimate details about myself and others which I have not paid much attention to lest I run the risk of getting distracted and deciding to throw my life away on a couple of belt batteries.

To those close to me, (and even to those who now have an ample grasp of our difficult lives while growing up, after watching PBB) our life story shall always be compared to a telenovela-too colorful and too eventful that many find it hard to believe. Then again, none of us wanted any of those things to happen. But they did, and they have formed us into the beings that we are today, whether the process was conventional or otherwise. Sa Bahay ni Kuya, I have to admit that it really felt like I was re-living certain events in my past by way of the different tasks assigned to us and the underlying challenge that came with each such as having to relate with people who think they are of a different breed because of their good fortunes. Inside the house, we are all alike. What we make of our lives in the face of adversity is what makes the difference worthy of praise. There were lessons learned everyday whether from Kuya or through the various interactions with the other housemates. The other housemates may have probably picked something from me, as I have learned from them the importance of trusting people again.

So many things have been written about this journey of mine here and in Manila, but as what Nathalie said, "Lahi ra jud Gel kung gikan nimo." And so, every now and then, you shall be reading bits and pieces from the Wildflower's official journal. In the coming issues, I hope to answer many questions asked to this day about those eight weeks of living inside the PBB house as well as the aftermath of the Celebrity Edition. As my journey continues, I cannot go on without giving special thanks to the men and women behind PBB, particularly direk Lauren Dyogi and Ma'am Linggit Tan, who have been most helpful in every way. To my ABS-CBN RNG family, headed by Mr. Ron Valdueza and Jerry Bennet for being very supportive and to my home, ABS-CBN Cebu, headed by Ms. Tata Cinco-Sy, who has always provided me support and enlightenment especially when it comes to making career-related decisions. In my heart, I have nothing else to ask except for God to grant the wishes of their hearts always.

It was on our 3rd anniversary in 1994 when I first met ABS-CBN chairman and president Eugenio "Gabby" Lopez III, and after finding out that we had the same birthday (August 13) and that were both born under the year of the dragon (him in 1954 and I in 1976), I could never forget what he told me: "Stay with ABS-CBN. There's something for you here." And so I did. Thanks to Mr. Lopez and to all those responsible for my staying as a kapamilya all these years, I can now continue to grow and bloom where I'm now planted.