Korina Sanchez comes full circle with ‘Face to Face’

MANILA, Philippines — Korina Sanchez doesn't believe in “overexposure.”

If we're not mistaken, the award-winning broadcaster and producer currently has the most number of programs across different networks and platforms.

Despite the workload, she’s not one to shy away from a new challenge — or a new show. So, when she was offered to be the newest face of TV5's “Face to Face: Harapan,” replacing previous host Karla Estrada who resigned, she knew it would be a unique opportunity.

It was fellow TV5 host Willie Revillame who recommended Korina for the program, according to Jane Basas, president and CEO of MediaQuest, which owns TV5 and Cignal. Dubbed as the Kapatid network's “legacy show,” “Face to Face” has been an enduring hit with its “barangay hall” format in dealing with and mediating real-life complaints and conflicts in front of an audience.

Korina, nevertheless, acknowledged that there were a few concerns raised about her taking on the show. “Why were people warning me about it? People kept warning me every time really. Ewan ko, tingin nila sakin siguro sosyal ang brand ko or what. ‘Korina, alam ba nag-uupakan sila dyan, naghahagisan sila ng kung ano?’ Sabi ko, ‘How bad could it be?” the journalist told The STAR in an exclusive chat.

Retracing her career, she has always been comfortable navigating between hard and soft news, including entertainment-oriented content. “Malikot ako… Many journalists take themselves quite seriously, right? They're purists. I'm not like that. That's why half of me is in showbiz and half of me is news… That's why I have ‘Rated Korina.’ That’s why I produced a comedy series. That's why I'm doing a newscast. I don't believe in limiting yourself.”

“I mean, as long as you, again, have a firm hold of your brand, right?... I want that maintained. I can talk to a mangkukulam, I can talk to BBM (President Bongbong Marcos). Why will I limit myself?” she added.

Plus, she likes the challenge. “It's like answering the question of my husband (former Sen. Mar Roxas), ‘What are you doing to yourself? You don't even need to work anymore. We have kids, you can retire.’”

Retirement or slowing down, however, is far from her mind. “Allergic ako sa salitang ‘retire,’ my gosh! Oh my, hindi pwede. He knew I was going to be a working mom from the first time we met so I think it's a challenge because ever since the closure of ABS-CBN and the pandemic, so many platforms emerged, right? And technology really exploded,” Korina said.

She pointed out that with so many platforms and niche audiences today, she doesn’t see her multi-platform presence as overexposure. “Each has its own loyal viewership. They don't migrate,” she observed. “And each show is a different genre.”

“Face to Face” is a different and unfamiliar territory in that “this is a kind of show I've never done before.”

“I used to produce ‘Mel & Jay,’ which was a talk show. I started it, that's my concept. Even ‘Teysi ng Tahanan.’ In the beginning kasi, EP (executive producer) ako talaga.

“Pinuntahan pa ako sa Cubao,” she recalled how TV5 bosses as well as Willie convinced her to say yes and how she initially reacted. “Parang okay, first of all, where do I get the time and the energy to do that? (They said) we will have a good team, you will have a good team. So, I just have to appear there and be the referee.”

She accepted the challenge, ready to see where it would lead. “It’s like how you handle yourself on stage, for example, as a Binibining Pilipinas candidate — you don’t really know until you’re there. You don’t know how to stand up until you’ve stumbled,” Korina said.

“It's the same here. I'll just be myself kasi sa totoo lang mas malapit naman ako talaga sa maliliit na tao kaysa sa matataas.”

Though this is her first time hosting in this format, it reminded her of the early days of her career. On how her broadcast roots bring a familiarity to her new role and connect her to the people she interacts with on the show, she reminisced, “Yung talaga pagkakaalam ko sa sarili ko since I started my career. Because I’m AM radio and I’m ‘Hoy Gising.’ I even did a show before called ‘Kayo ang Humatol,’ which is something very similar to this. It was produced by Charo (Santos) and we had a barangay captain na referee, Alicia Vergel.

“We would really go to the slum area, that's where we do — may nag-aaway dahil sa manok, dahil nagkaka-nakawan ng manok. So meron na akong ganyan dati kaya nga full circle ito for me.”

When asked what surprised her most during taping for “Face to Face,” she said, “Hindi ako masyadong nasorpresa. Hindi kasi malapit talaga ako sa masa. Kahit ang gwardya namin sa bahay, kausap ko, yung nag-aalaga ng aso at yung yaya ng mga anak ko nag-aaway, ako rin ang magbabati sa kanila.”

Contrary perhaps to the perception of others, Korina sees the show's format not as "bakya" or lowbrow, but as a raw representation of true Filipino life. To her, the issues presented in “Face to Face” are universal, which could happen everywhere from ordinary neighborhoods to affluent areas.

“Of course, the format is a bit controversial, and there’s a lot happening in each episode. But I thought, this is real life. How else should we accept what happens in people’s daily lives? I'm all about authenticity, and there’s nothing wrong with being authentic. (They say) Tacky? How is it tacky when it happens even in places like Forbes Park — these kinds of misunderstandings — but people just don’t admit it,” Korina said.

“So, I want to be there. I want to be part of that — of reality TV. It’s in my DNA. I want to help, I really want to help resolve things. I’m the ate in my family; I’m also the referee between my siblings and my staff who don’t get along. I’m glad to be of assistance in people’s lives.

“I feel happy around the masses because I feel close to them. If I had a choice, I’d rather talk to them because they’re direct and don’t pretend. They’re real, which is why I enjoy every episode.”

Korina, meanwhile, teased that the first episode this Monday is about a neighbor accused of being a mangkukulam or one who practices witchcraft.

“You know, this is part of Filipino folklore. How do you figure out if it’s true or not? That was a very interesting episode because you have the church saying, ‘Yes, it’s real,’ but you don’t believe it,” she said. “So, watch for the drama, comedy and action that happens in every episode of ‘Face to Face.’”

“Face to Face: Harapan” starts tomorrow, Nov. 11, Mondays to Fridays at 4 to 5 p.m.