Pia Arcangel and Ivan Mayrina open up on their lives outside the news

Seasoned GMA news anchors Pia Arcangel and Ivan Mayrina are in high spirits as they recently celebrated the 15th anniversary of “24 Oras Weekend.” Pia is an original anchor and Ivan joined the news program in 2018.

We recently had a spirited conversation on “Fast Talk with Boy Abunda,” where they talked about their careers and lives outside the news.

Pia didn’t realize that much time had passed since they started airing on television. She revealed that “24 Oras Weekend” was conceptualized because there was a need to have a news program on weekends.

“Ang laking shift sa landscape ng news kasi dati ‘pag weekends, iyon ang day-off from the news. That was an election year. Ang daming nangyaring breaking news on a weekend. So there was a need to have primetime news on the weekend,” she said.

“Since then, habit na siya ng mga tao na pati Sabado, Linggo naghahanap na ng balita.”

There is a distinct tonal pattern when delivering the news. Ivan shared, “Starting out 25 years ago, I had to read aloud tabloids dahil kailangan kong mag-practice.

“Bilang isang Kapampangan, malakas daw ang punto ko. Kailangan kong praktisin iyong pagde-deliver. Bibili ako ng tabloid. Babasahin ko ng malakas. Practice until na-imbibe ko iyong tone na distinct sa mga reporters.”

Working in the media industry can be hectic because reporters always go where the news is.

Pia and Ivan always ensure they spend quality time with their respective families. Pia is the wife of sports broadcast journalist Mico Halili while Ivan is happily married to Karen Tiongson, GMA Integrated News Research head.

Pia talked about the news instead of bedtime stories to Mickey when she was little. At a young age, her daughter already knew of her mother’s line of work.

According to Ivan, his son was coming to terms with the idea that his dad was a TV personality when he was growing up.

“Parang hindi naman kinailangan i-explain because I make it a point to make time every day. Iyong dinner time halimbawa. That’s sacred. No matter how busy. And on weekends, we try to hang out and do something as a family.”

People can be misled by fake news proliferating on social media. With just one click of a button, peddlers of bogus stories can spread misinformation and deceive innocent individuals.

As broadcasters, Pia and Ivan know it is their responsibility to fight fake news.

“We have to infiltrate the same platforms, Tito Boy. Kumbaga, fight fire with fire,” Pia said.

“We are encouraged to use our digital platforms to put the news out there. Kung may lumabas na fake news, ilabas mo iyong totoo. The more you put out the truth, then you will be able to drown out fake news,” she added.

As Kapuso, they are proud of their roles as GMA news anchors.

“It’s not just a career. I always think of this as a public service. We have an important role to play in society,” Pia explained.

Ivan added, “Being able to influence the national agenda for the day and ask questions directly to people that matter. Iyon ay nakakaapekto sa pinag-uusapan ng sambayanan and that reflects in their decisions sa buhay nila. Masarap siyang pakiramdam na may ganito kang function sa lipunan.”