Boy talks hard & reads hard

MANILA, Philippines - There is not a week when Boy Abunda is not invited to speak. No, these are not purely showbiz or entertainment affairs. The topics can range from movies, education, family, politics, books, hosting, love and gay rights. But all these engagements he has to squeeze into his frenzied schedule. There are four shows which he has to maintain — The Buzz on Sundays; SNN Live Mondays to Fridays; The Bottomline on Saturdays; and Inside The Cinema on Cinema One. Plus, he is on his last term of his Masteral degree in Communication at the Philippine Women’s University.

He travels around the country where he speaks before students, professionals, religious groups, the academe, community organizations, corporations, etc. He has delivered talks before the Young Millionaires Club, Nestlé, Philippine Association of National Advertisers (PANA), ASEAN TAYO Awards Night, International Association of Business Communicators, Philippine Airlines’ Graduation Rites, Sossy-ology: McCann Erickson Interactive Workshop, Standard Chartered Bank and Unilab.

Recently Boy Abunda was asked to speak before the Third Philippine Life Insurance Congress with the theme Build to Last. He talked about the Ten Things About Me That Could Be About You. In this conference, he was picked as one of the best and the most applauded speakers.

Boy is a preferred speaker as he is a choice interviewer. This, especially, if you want a fun, engaging, straightforward, insightful conversation. Ask a celebrity who he wants to interview him, chances are, he’d say, Boy Abunda.

His trust rating is high as evidenced by the number of public figures and people of consequence who have experienced the Boy Abunda “interview.” His expertise, his spontaneity, his volubility, how he weaves his interviews, how he crafts his questions make him top of his game. If people want to get to the bottom of things, there is only one answer — The Bottomline.

Quotes from Bottomline guests.

Elena Bautista — “Parang may care ang asking of questions. Parang alam mong hindi ka babastusin at hindi ka itutulak. You know he’ll take care of you. Just be yourself, be truthful and enjoy the show.”

Efren Peñaflorida — “It was a great experience. It was my first time to experience this kind of questioning. The questions are direct to the point kaya dapat ang answers mo concise. Pinagpapawisan ako kahit malamig. Di ko makakalimutan ang interview na ito. It was a wonderful experience. Nakakakaba. It was really great. Here, direct to the point, concise talaga. Dapat honest ang answers mo. Maging totoo sila sa sarili nila at sagutin ang tanong ng buong puso.”

Melissa Cantiveros — “Parang hot seat pero after a while naging cold seat.”

Rica Paras — “Nakakaloka. Tuloy tuloy ang questions. He is very candid. He is able to digest and able to relate and I feel connected to him. I feel he shares the same things sa sarili ko. My advice, prepare your voice. Just be yourself. Just be candid. Share your thoughts.”

Agnes Devanadera — “Iba talaga yan si Boy Abunda. Pati ako na-memesmerize. He can draw so much from you. He can make things appear light no matter how serious the subject matter is. Hindi ka pwede magkunwari. Just have fun and you will enjoy.”

Leila de Lima — “He can ask anything under the sun. I feel he would ask a lot of personal questions and he did. Siya pa lang nagpa-admit sa akin. I just have to say everything in my mind and in my heart. Sa personal level di ako tinatanong ng ganun. I just have to brace myself sa mga kantyaw ng friends. My advice (to would be interviewees) just be yourself.”

Bottomline is a political show that features public figures like politicians, philosophers and spiritual leaders, among others. “Everyone has a story to tell. It’s a dance. Most of the time you don’t know what’s going to happen. And this makes the experience of interviewing truly exciting. I can do prostitutes and prime ministers in the same breath. I don’t talk down on anyone.”

As an interviewer, Boy makes sure that he is combat ready.

“I talk hard, and I read hard. I prepare. I make sure that I know the guest enough for me to know that surprises happen. It is important that you respect the story of everyone. It is your duty to listen. Then and only then can the dance begin.”

Executive producer is Apples dela Vega; business unit head Louie Andrada; production manager Vince Rodriguez; director Pinggoy Generoso; head writer Pear Clemente; writer MJ Felipe; associate producer Oxy del Rosario; segment producers LA Dacula and Yogs Makan; researcher Anne Miraballes; production assistantsAu Veguila and Ledz Cahinhinan; talent coordinator Tess Magano; and floor director Stephen Cruz.