Jo San Diego keeps the music playing

MANILA, Philippines - We must have known Jo San Diego like forever from the carefree days in the ‘60s when we would hang out with this group of army brats from Camp Murphy as Camp Aguinaldo today was previously known. Having been an army brat ourselves, we became the best of friends with the likes of Amor Arellano, Charlie Alejandrino, Bon and Jimmy Syquio and Ting San Diego who was the younger brother of celebrity DJ Jo San Diego.

Jo ruled the airlanes at midnight on All Night Stand over DZMT, the radio station of The Manila Times. She played love songs and talked about everything, but it was her velvety voice at that witching hour that seduced listeners to stay on and on until they found themselves her captive audience.

Not much has changed today a half century later as listeners wait patiently for Sundays at 3 p.m. on 104.3 FM for This is It and once again be treated to their preferred music of yesteryears and their favorite DJ who hasn’t lost that velvety voice and that captivating English accent all her own.

We visit Jo San Diego at her penthouse unit of a four-storey condominium in Little Baguio where we sit out on the terrace with the Wing Duo (Nikki Ross and Angie Yoingco, daughter of Katy de la Cruz) to look up at the stars on the evening sky and listen to the sounds of the city so, so far away.

Jo still has her legions of fans who listen to her on the Internet from Australia, all over the US, Dubai, Taipei, Shanghai, South America, Kulit from Burlingame California, and as far as Tibet where Gumamela lives and works. She finally came over to visit and Jo describes her as siga, working on an advisory capacity for Handicap International Belgium. On home grounds Jo is protected by fans who text or e-mail her their requests for particular songs and are vigilant of any threat to the show. When it was announced recently that the DJs on Sunday afternoon were being evaluated and would be back soon, Luch and Fuego separately wrote Jo “afraid Martial law had been declared” and swore “we will gear up for battle” if the golden years block were taken away from them. Jo’s show This is It, is patronized by seniors who love the old classics she plays.

With Gloria Romero

One of the few senior broadcasters still active now (along with Ernie Zarate, Barr Samson, Lito Gorospe), Jo always had good fortune on her side. While still at DZMT an opportunity arose when her mom, the venerable Judge Lourdes Paredes San Diego asked Jo to accompany her on an official mission to the US. Jo asked DZMT boss Marquitos Roces permission to go. The mission finished and mama went back home, but daughter was left behind in Los Angeles, upon receiving a job offer from KTLA Channel 5 after simply entering the premises and talking to the station manager Miss Vivian. 

“I was asked to report Thursday at 9 a.m. But Wednesday this cousin from Florida came to visit. Man, nag-inuman kami, naubos ang Grand Marnier at hindi ako nagising until 3 p.m. the next day. I was living in Westwood and didn’t know how far Westwood was from Hollywood where the station was. What was I to do? Nagpunta ako sa KTLA at sabi ko I’m sorry I didn’t realize that it takes me three buses to get here from where I live. She gave me a $10 raise! Hindi pa nga ako nag uumpisa, hahahaha. I really didn’t want the job kasi ang layo, pero nahiya naman ako eh di tinanggap ko na rin,” Jo said, complete with gesticulations that accompanied her interesting way of telling a story. 

Her progression was swift. She became an editor, assigned to sit in on taping sessions of Steve Allen, Orson Wells, the comedian Mort Sahl and the like until she became co-producer of two Rose parades in a row. That’s when the Pinoys got to discover her and she began to have fans. She was then given a show on old time movies to host. Until a vacancy occurred for the head of the publicity department that Jo thought she would get but was given to someone in the male room. It broke her heart.

“I was in the bathroom crying and who would come in by Ida Lupino (pioneering female filmmaker) who asked why are you crying little girl? I told her. She said, you have to remember Hollywood is very nepotistic and inclined towards the male of the species. But don’t worry, eventually, we, women will come into our own. I never forgot those words,” recalls Jo.

So many other adventures followed in progression. Jo was pirated by the KJOI radio, airing beautiful music from the late ‘60s through the ‘80s, and owned by Viacom. Jo was the only Filipino on an all music station with a talk show called Conversation where she interviewed the activist Ceasar Chavez, bestseller author Irving Wallace, actress France Nguyen among others. Then a UHF station gave her the Jo San Diego Now show where Filipinos like Zaldy Zhornack and Shirley Gorospe, Anthony Castelo were featured together with Americans like Eartha Kitt.

Jo San Diego stayed 40 years in the US, came home to stay with her mom during her last years and eventually was tracked down by Lito Gorospe and invited to join the Sunday 1 to 6 p.m. block of old time music with talk. It has been six years and Jo is once again restless. She confesses she loves her show and the fulfillment of making people happy. But we sense she wants to broaden her scope to reach more people, perhaps to go on television once again. The woman is unflappable. She spends months preparing for her upcoming shows and the dedication shows. This is what her fans appreciate. On the day of our visit she was having dinner with a group of doctors who were ardent listeners. It is pretty obvious that Jo San Diego is here to stay.

(E-mail me at [email protected].)