Sen. Loren on anostalgic trip

(Second of two parts)

Click here to read Part I

Although she is one of the most respected and admired senators of this country, Loren Legarda still can’t turn her back on television. On June 29, Saturday, at 7 p.m., she will return to the small screen via the public service program Loren: Kabalikat Natin on the ABS-CBN News Channel 21. In my interview with the good senator below, Loren turns nostalgic and talks about the TV industry where she has spent over half of her life.

Early difficulties on television. When she was starting as a news anchor for Channel 9, Loren was assigned to the 11:30 p.m. shift with Pat Lazaro and, later, Joe Carlos. But the late-night news didn’t always start at 11:30 p.m. Every time the other shows would go overtime, the news would be pushed to 12 midnight or even 1 a.m. "I guess that’s what I would consider my early difficulties on TV – the late night nights... and all for P70 a day," sighs Loren.

What she hates most about TV. "For 12 years, I didn’t experience holidays because I had to deliver the news every night – even on Christmas. Matagal din akong walang Pasko. Every time there was a coup or a typhoon, I had to be at work instead staying at home where it was safe," points out Loren. And through all those years, every time I would bump into Loren at socials, she would always be rushing before 10 p.m. for the World Tonight. I’m telling you, she was no fun as a friend that time because she would leave in the middle of a lively dinner conversation just so she could respond to the call of duty.

What she likes most about TV. "I like the immediacy of television. And through this medium, you can present visuals and capture the emotions of people," she stresses.

Failures on TV. I don’t know if this would qualify as a failure. You see, there was a time when Vivian Recio (now of Channel 5) asked Loren to audition for the role of the secretary Bebs (originated on TV by Menchu Genato Henson – better known as Tita Maggi) in the revival of Baltic & Company. She did try out for the part, but was not taken in. However, she didn’t feel bad about the rejection – especially after she found out that she would be required to do overnight taping as part of the cast.

Moments when she felt like a TV star. Loren never had TV star airs. At the peak of her career on television, she would hear Mass at the Greenbelt chapel and walk the entire length of the park like an ordinary person out on a promenade. "If ever I felt like a TV star, maybe that was during the time of Pep Talk. Ang ganda kasi ng feedback du’n. But then, it was difficult to have any TV star feeling in my position because I was a working journalist. Mahirap mag-feeling TV star kapag lumulusong ka sa baha, you’re riding boats and climbing mountains," she rationalizes.

Frustrations on TV. "I get frustrated when my standards cannot be met, when my staff turns in mediocre work and when I don’t get the scoop – but, fortunately, I always do," says Loren.

Proudest moments on TV. Loren is undeniably one of the most awarded broadcast journalists on television and she is proud of each one of her trophies and citations. But she was proudest when she received her first Catholic Mass Media Awards trophy for Pep Talk. When she was just starting out on TV, you see, her goal was to receive just one award and retire. Little did she realize that she’d have over 40 awards in her collection and could be in for more.

Memorable interviews on TV. Loren and her Inside Story crew should be given credit for a lot of firsts on television: Loren was the first to interview Sarah Balabagan, the priest killer Roberto Manero, and Rep. Romy Jalosjos in jail. She’s also proud of her interviews with Nelson Mandela and Nur Misuari when he was still a rebel in Sulu.

What she regrets not having done on TV. There was a time she made arrangements with Mother Teresa. But when everything was almost set, Mother Teresa got sick. That can no longer be done now, of course – to Loren’s regret.

Problems of television. TV’s primary problem, according to Loren, is the nature of the medium. "It’s commercial and you have to compromise in order to sell," admits Loren. "You also have to move fast here because you have deadlines to meet. But in the process, the quality sometimes suffers. Interviews should be thorough, except that that’s not always possible because of limited time."

Assessment of today’s broadcast journalists. When Loren was starting out in the news, most of the female broadcast journalists then were already seasoned in the field: Tina Monzon Palma, Ninez Cacho Olivares and Helen Vela. "Today, I see a lot of young and good-looking newscasters. Some are very talented – although I can’t say all because I’d be lying if I said that. A few are enterprising, which is good. In fact, we should encourage them to become working journalists. And this is my advice to them: Learn to pursue stories, so they just don’t end up as news readers," concludes Loren.