Mister DJ

I don’t know how many of you who read this column know Joe D’ Mango. For many years, he gave advice to the lovelorn over the radio, then on TV, and eventually back on radio, through his show Love Notes. At one point, his show was so popular, there was no escaping mention of him even if you tried. Love, as we all know, is a very hot topic among Filipinos.

For a couple of years, I followed his show, listening to people bare their hearts, anticipating the day my own romantic drama would play out. It seemed like the interesting people had interesting love stories, sad and otherwise, and I couldn’t wait to have a story to tell on my own love life.

I was young when Joe D’ Mango was at his most popular, and his star was on the wane when I finally stumbled into my own sad love story — a love story so sad it was bordering on embarrassing and would have probably never made it on paper to be considered for his show.

But at its height, what a lover I was! I could do anything, I could change everything, I could make everything right. Joe D’ Mango was as idealistic; he was a believer in true love. Nothing seemed to faze him as long as love was shining bright. Songs had been sung of great love, and as long as Joe D’ Mango could find a song for your story, everything could be alright.

The love I though I would know, I picked up from the likes of Joe D’ Mango.

And then my young heart was shattered, and I became allergic to anything that spoke of young and innocent love. The first real cut makes you slightly bitter, I think, and I was just that. Whenever I heard of young people falling blindly in love, too blind to see the harsh realities that doomed their relationship, I would roll my eyes.

Eventually, I would grow up to be a pragmatic believer in true love, skeptical of romantic trappings and almost shrewdly in search for proof of love of lasting value. I would see love in presence and sacrifice and loyalty, but I would be hard-pressed to find it in a bouquet of wildflowers.

And enter this DJ called Papa Jack, who has an advice show on 90.7 Love Radio. I discovered his late night radio show through late night taxi rides home and I eventually learned to enjoy listening to him dish out no-nonsense, in-your-face advice to people who bare their hearts to him. And what colorful people they were too!

While Joe D’ Mango attracted mostly yuppies, Papa Jack appeals to a wider audience. I’ve heard him give advice to white collar and blue collar workers alike, dealing with them with the same amount of respect, sympathy, sarcasm, and frustration.

I once listened to him verbally slap a lady food server silly because she was asking about her ex-boyfriend, also a food server, even as she claimed she loved her current boyfriend, also a food server. “If you’re too broken to love again,” he told her, “huwag muna.”

Papa Jack has turned many a cab driver I’ve encountered into love sages. I actually welcome the deviation from political chit-chat. And, as much as I still cringe when I call him “papa,” I enjoy Papa Jack’s cliched, yet precious nuggets of wisdom. They’re as direct as one of my favorites: “If you want to let go the person, say sorry, say thank you, and say goodbye.”

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