Ted Failon: From waiter to tricycle driver to newscaster

On radio and TV, he has a unique way of delivering the news and gives informed and witty commentaries. In person, he is simple as simple can be, very low-key and unassuming. Known to be a private person, he politely begged off having his photo taken during the interview, but agreed to behind-the-scenes shots during his live newscast. He smiles and laughs much more off camera than on camera.

We usually do not know much about the personal lives of journalists, but one of the things we do know about Ted’s personal life is the tragedy his family went through in 2009, when they were involved in a controversial case over the death of his wife Trina. Failon’s life has been filled with enough experiences for two or more lifetimes, and here are 10 things you should know about him:

1. Ted was once a room boy, waiter, construction worker, tsinelas vendor, tricycle driver, disc jockey, and was, most of the time, a working student.

His dad Jose was a jeepney driver and his mom Josefina who was a market vendor. Mario Teodoro Failon Etong was born and raised in Tacloban City, before moving to Manila where he eventually started his career. While in school, he had to work to help his parents, which was also how he developed his people skills and his gift of gab. He recalls these memories with fondness and shares a few stories. On the time he was 15 years old working as a waiter, “Nagtataka yung mga customer na kapag dumating yung order nilang fried chicken,parang may bawas. Kinakain kasi namin.” And he proudly shares that he was part of the “first batch ng room boy sa Tacloban Plaza.”

When Ted got married in 1983, he had to quit school and work full time at a local radio station. Not taking for granted the importance of education even when he was already working, 11 years after he left college, he enrolled at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and two years after, in 1996, graduated with a degree in broadcast communications.

2. When he was starting out in ABS-CBN, he practically lived in the network’s compound, sleeping in the janitor’s quarters every night.

“I was so eager to be in any network in Manila. Sinabi ko sa sarili ko na kapag binigyan ako ng break, gagandahan ko at aayusin ko talaga ang trabaho ko,” he recalls. Doing his job as a desk editor from 4 p.m. to midnight, a radio show from 2 to 4 a.m., then often pinch hitting for the 4 a.m. show of the late Lito Villarosa, and sometimes even also for the 5 to 8 a.m. show of KabayanNoli de Castro, Ted found it “sayang sa pamasahe at sa oras” to go home every day. So he literally lived in the office for almost the whole week, and went home on Sundays. Ted first applied to ABS-CBN twice and was not accepted. It was when he tried a third time that he finally got the job as a desk editor in 1990.

3. Before ending his first year as a Congressman, Ted already talked to his ABS-CBN boss Gabby Lopez to ask if he could come back to the programs he had left as soon as his term would end.

With over two years left in his term, he told his boss “parang di ko yata ito kakayanin, pag umuuwi ako ng distrito ko para akong ATM machine eh.” He shares that with all due respect to other politicians, he has two reasons why he felt Congress was not for him. First, he says, “No matter how good your intentions are, or how great your advocacy is, at the end of the day pagbobotohan yan and if you don’t have support of the majority, ingay ka lang dun.” Second, he shares, “Ang dami nilang parang obligado kang buhayin mo sila, and when you refuse to heed to their demands, they will say ‘lilipat na kami sa kabila.’”

When he found out he could return to broadcasting, in 2004, he finished his term and all his projects in the district, and declared that he would not run again. No regrets though, because he was able to apply what he learned as a politician saying, “Pag nag-interview ako ngayon ng Congressman, di nila ako pwedeng bolahin.”

4. Ted Failon in numbers:

21 — His age when he married his wife, the late Trina Arteche-Etong, with whom he has two daughters (Kaye, 26, who works in TV production, and Karish, 15, a junior high school student).

2,600 — Amount of pesos a month he received as his first-ever salary at ABS-CBN.

45 — Awards received for broadcasting in radio and TV.

1 — Ballpoint pen that he uses in his signature move, placing his pen in his coat pocket after the closing spiel of “TV... (wait for it) Patrol!” He has been using the same Cross pen on the main newscast ever since he returned in 2004.

15 — Days a year he is allowed to go on leave.

14 — Number of newspapers he reads every morning.

5. On the issue of bribery in journalism, Ted says, “these PR guys know kung sino ang pwede nilang suhulan at sino ang hindi.”

He gives this direct quote and statement: “Yung industriyang ginagalawan namin ay maliit lang. Everybody knows everybody. At yung mga PR operators, maliit lang din na grupo yan. They know, among us, sino ang kanilang kaya, sino ang nasa kanilang payroll. Let them speak sa usapin na ganyan. I don’t want to pass judgment on my colleagues.”

He adds that if you are a keen follower of radio commentaries, you will know who is corrupt versus who is incorruptible.

6. Broadcaster Gabby Aurillo was the one who inspired him to try to make it big, and “Kabayan” Noli de Castro advised him, “wag kang mahiyang ilabas ang talento mo.”

Gabby Aurillo was a local broadcaster and the professor of Ted at the Divine Word University in Tacloban. Gabby became an anchor for Channel 9 news in Manila, which made Ted and other aspiring broadcasters in Tacloban look up to him. He said to himself then, “kung kaya ni Gabby, why not subukan ko din.”

Former Vice President Noli de Castro was the one who really helped Ted get his big break. When Kabayan would be absent from his radio or TV shows, he would insist that Ted be the one to sit in for him. “Pati kurbata ko kanya, at kung kasya lang sa akin Amerikana niya, siguro ipapahiram niya din yun sa akin,” Ted fondly recalls. Kabayan encouraged Ted in his work, and not once did Ted ever see unkindness from his mentor. From broadcasting to politics and back to broadcasting, things have come full circle for these two colleagues and good friends.

7. Ted’s good friend and long-time colleague Korina Sanchez on their one-in-a-million tandem: “I joke that after two decades of seeing each other every day in our morning radio program on DZMM, he is like a work-husband!”

Ted is the only boy in a brood of four children, and Korina the only girl in a brood of five. In what seems to be a partnership made in broadcasting heaven, they formed a real and deep friendship in a very competitive industry. Their list of award-winning hit programs include Hoy! Gising, Pulso: Aksyon Balita, Tambalang Failon at Sanchez, Harapan and TV Patrol. According to Korina, they share the same sense of humor, have similar advocacies, and they grew together both personally and professionally. According to Ted, “naiintindihan ko siya, yung mood niya, yung temper niya, at naiintindihan niya ako, yung mood ko, yung temper ko.”

8. He turns to books for answers.

On his office desk was the book Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know by Meg Meeker, which he has read cover to cover to help enlighten him on how to deal with his daughters. They may not give him answers when he asks them “May nanliligaw na ba sa iyo? May nambu-bully ba sa iyo,” but he seems to be doing fine because his eldest daughter Kaye shares that the best thing about her dad is “his capacity for acceptance and understanding.”

On the set of TV Patrol, beside Ted’s chair and retouch kit was the book Pananampalataya written by his good friend Pastor Joey Umali. On the cover it read “Buhay na pag-asa sa pag-ibig ng Diyos” and inside, the bookmark he used was a photo booth shot taken of him and his daughter. He would read a few lines during commercial breaks.

Off camera, Ted’s executive producer Irene Javier-Manotok reveals that Ted is a very spiritual person, and that he once advised her that we should kneel when we pray. “I don’t want to be preachy about it, but I discovered so many things when I became more spiritual,” Ted shares. When asked what Bible verses are his favorites, he effortlessly recites chapters, passages, and lines, citing the books of Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Habakkuk and Philippians.

9. He still finds himself asking questions about the fate of his dearly departed wife Trina.

“Meron pa rin sa aking mga low moments, meron pang panghihinayang. Bakit kinakailangang mangyari? Bakit kinakailangang humantong sa ganun? Hindi pa rin nawawala yun,” Ted opens up. After that incident, he shares that “life is too short,” which is his life philosophy. We should enjoy it, we should do what we can to help others, and we should do what we want for ourselves, because no one knows what will happen tomorrow.

10. Ever since he and his daughters lost his wife, Ted declared one most important, basic rule to his family: “Errors are accepted in this home.”

“Lahat tayo nagkakamali,” Ted declares. And he reaffirms his two daughters by telling them, “Kapag nagkamali ka sa anumang desisyon mo, sa anumang ginawa mong bagay, mali man ito sa mata ng lipunan, sa ibang sektor, sa ibang tao, nakagawa ka man ng hindi tama.. Bago mo kausapin ang kaibigan mo, barkada mo, sa takot mo na magagalit ako, hindi dapat ganun. Dapat ang una mong kakausapin, ako. Tatlo tayong mag-usap, kasi wala ka nang ibang uuwian. Pag nagkamali ka sa labas, you seek refuge sa bahay. Tanggap ka dito, dahil bahay mo ‘to. Yun ang rule number 1.”

For this family man and passionate broadcaster, life is simple. He does not have more than one credit card (he has one foreign card for when he travels, which he hardly does), he does not bring his wallet to work because “wala naman akong inaasahan na bibilhin ko,” and the one thing he wants to achieve more in life is to see his youngest daughter Karishma graduate college. They say that there really is no sure “secret” to success, but in the life of Manong Ted, simplicity, humility and hard work seems to be what brought him straight to the top.

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