Teka muna, si Pat-P muna!

MANILA, Philippines — You won’t, you can’t, miss her.

At exactly 7 o’clock every Saturday on DZMM, it’s her laughter that precedes the intro of herself and her co-host, Peter Musngi. You can’t help but set aside whatever you’re doing and for one full hour, you are glued to the radio program Teka Muna and you say, teka muna, si Pat-P muna!

I bet Pat-P Daza announced her birth with a boisterous laughter, in contrast to the gentleness of her mom, Jullie Yap-Daza. During our barkada’s regular get-together, usually at the well-appointed condo unit of Lawrence Tan, we know that Pat-P is stepping out of the elevator six doors away by her laughter. With her around, there’s no space for a dull moment. Pat-P punctuates every tsismis (mostly off the record) with an infectious hahahahaha!!!

Peter says it best. “Pat-P is the only ‘live’ canned laughter. She makes very serious topics seem a lot lighter. The poor guests usually don’t have any idea what hits them.”

Make no mistake about it, though. While the five-year-old Teka Muna is enlivened by Pat-P’s laughter, the show features in-depth interviews and dissects current issues with resource persons. Peter and Pat-P’s dynamic banter on trending and relevant topics and no holds-barred interviews with newsmakers have been a hit with viewers of DZMM TeleRadyo and listeners of DZMM Radyo Patrol 630, making Teka Muna the top radio program in its time block.

Both seasoned media veterans, the anchors have shown incredible chemistry in the program. Peter serves as the program’s pilot, directing the flow and injecting wisdom and facts in the show. Pat-P provides the wisecracks and sharp questions that echo the views and sentiments of Filipinos. Together, they make discussions of even serious issues more engaging, relatable, and informative for the people.

“The secret of our show is that it is not scripted. Before we go on-air, we talk about what we can discuss in the program, especially in the first part where we recap the hottest news. So when we come in, we’re both ready,” Pat-P shared.

Beyond that, Peter said it is “anything goes.”

“We don’t overprepare because you don’t want to lose the spontaneity on the air,” he said.

Asked how she differed from other female radio hosts, Pat-P said in her characteristic brutal frankness, “I’m prettier, wittier and smarter,” followed by a “hahahaha!!!” before adding, “and I must say that Peter is very smart, calm and knowledgeable.”

Originally conceptualized as a light and fun weekend program, the show has evolved to become a platform where men and women of the hour are able to openly talk about the pressing issues in society.

It is for this reason that Pat-P puts in more effort to stay updated with current events.

Pat-P and Peter complement each other; she’s lively while he’s cool and composed

“I read and I watch the news every day because there can be live interviews on the spot in our program. So it is important to have a good stock knowledge,” she said.

Noted for her gift of gab, how does Pat-P avoid “out-talking” their guests?

“Peter looks at me or pinches me when I’m guilty of that,” she admitted.

“Pat-P has the gift of extreme gab, that’s right,” confirmed Peter. “She often forgets that she has me as a partner anchor and she just blabs away. So I hit her hand on the air,” adding, “Pat-P and I are from opposite ends of the pole. We are two different generations, different upbringing and certainly different sets of values. But we are more than the sum of our parts. There’s tension but interesting twists in the discussions.”

Pat-P: “No one is spared but Peter and I make sure that we make the discussions light but informative.”

Meanwhile, Peter said that he goes by the same principles he had before he retired and left his post as the head of DZMM, and that is to show commitment and concern for your show.

“As an anchor, you row your own boat. If you don’t care about your program, then nobody else will care. It is your program, so you take care of your own program,” he said.

And for Teka Muna, Peter said he hopes he and Pat-P can do live interviews outside the DZMM radio booth in the future, and take advantage of today’s technology. “We want to be able to get the hottest interviews whenever, wherever. Kami pupunta,” he said.

Like their show, DZMM continues to rule the airwaves based on the radio survey conducted by Kantar Media in Mega Manila in the second quarter of the year. DZMM garnered an audience share of 25 percent to remain ahead of DZBB and DZRH, which got 22 percent and 21 percent, respectively.

The secret of the show’s success is no secret at all; it’s all over the airwaves, it’s the hosts’ spontaneity.

“We know what the topics and who the guests will be,” explained Peter. “But nothing is scripted. We just wing it and oftentimes we find punch lines along the way while we are still uncovering the more substantial answers to some serious questions.”

Incidentally, asked who she looked up to as role model or who she would compare herself to, Pat-P replied, “I can’t think of anyone that I look up to. I like the fearlessness of Ted Failon, the voice of Peter Musngi and the look of Amara Walker of CNN International.”

(Catch Teka Muna on DZMM Radyo Patrol 630 on AM radio and on DZMM TeleRadyo on SKYcable and ABS-CBN TVplus every Saturday at 7 p.m. For news, visit dzmm.com.ph or follow @DZMMTeleRadyo on Facebook and Twitter. For updates, follow @abscbnpr on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or visit www.abscbnpr.com.)