GETTING COMFY WITH KORINA

She’s with you in the morning, she’s with you in the evening. If you watch television it’s hard to miss Korina Sanchez. She is one of the hottest items on local news programming today–the one to whom Kris told all, one of only two journalists allowed a question at the Bush/Arroyo White House press conference (the other was The STAR’s Marichu Villanueva), the country’s representative in a select group of five Asian journalists chosen to interview key leaders of the region.

In fact, that experience afforded Korina one of her most memorable interviews: with East Timor’s Xanana Gusmao. Coming out of practically total devastation, "with no currency to speak of when we were there... the place where the President was staying was riddled with bullet holes, (with) no air conditioning, almost like a condemned building... it will be interesting to see how this country will grow," she says, the excitement in her voice obvious.

Obvious too is her admiration for now retired Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir, who she also interviewed. Admitting that he is her "idol", Korina cites his extraordinary sense of nationalism, his political will "unlike anyone else in Asia" as distinctive traits that mark him as a leader.

"He’s not ‘safe’ at all," she remarks. "He leads a country of diverse religions and cultures, but he has been able to (get them) to live harmoniously and work together for the country... regardless of what the West says..."

Rounding out her top three choices for most memorable encounters as a journalist is the "transition from Erap to Gloria...and now..." She recalls how, at the time, she was "crucified for some of my views and comments during EDSA Dos... but I stuck to it, even when people misunderstood me to be pro-Erap, which I never was". She clarifies, "I’m a lot more spoiled with Gloria than I ever was with Erap... whom I met maybe five times during his term–and all at socials, mind you, never one-on-one, unlike with Gloria..."

Korina hasn’t been "safe" either; planned, calculated, deliberate, but not safe. Her tell all/bare all interview with Morning Girls co-host Kris Aquino must have been the highest rated show in recent memory. It was inevitable that when Kris decided to speak out about her tumultous separation from Joey Marquez, it would be with Korina.

"I did ask her (Kris) what she didn’t want me to ask," Korina reveals, "but she set no limitations." The rest, as they say, is television history. The shocking revelations tumbled out, the tears flowed...and through it all Korina sat stoic, almost emotionless. Asked what she felt during the interview, especially when the sordid details came out, she replies, "Nothing; totally nothing. You can’t get emotionally involved."

She did get involved a bit though, when she comforted Kris by saying, on air, that rather than losing everything maybe she gained everything back–and some critics went at her for it. "Oh well," she says resignedly, then adds, "I think at that point my audience would have wanted me to react, to say something, to thaw a little bit..."

While she may appear totally detached and professional about her work as a broadcast journalist, Korina can–and does–get passionate about certain issues. One of these is patients’ rights, an admittedly sticky and controversial issue considering the clout that the medical profession wields.

Her involvement with this particular cause came as a result of a most traumatic experience when her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given up as a hopeless case by some of the most prominent doctors in the country.

Given the dismal prognosis from the operating room, she hit the internet in search of alternatives. She connected with a young doctor in New York and, when she got her mother there, found out to her great relief that the prognosis was all wrong: the tumor was operable, the cancer had not spread at all. But she also found out to her horror that the diagnosis and handling of her mother’s case was far from ideal; for one thing, there was no oncologist on the medical team that attended to her mother and further, no biopsy was performed on the tumor.

From this painful personal experience was born her crusade for patients’ rights. She got in touch with other victims of "negligence or arrogance" at the hands of medical practitioners and lobbied vigorously and vociferously for the passage of a law on patients’ rights. That law, unfortunately, is still mired in the halls of the legislature.

She is also involved with the movement on breast cancer awareness, and with the support group Bosom Buddies. She recently activated Lingkod TV Patrol, which facilitates assistance for children in life-and-death cases. "We’ve been able to save five kids so far," she says, pointing out though that the show merely facilitates and coordinates efforts of those who want to help.

"Charity should never be publicized," she avers, brushing aside questions about her personal charitable endeavors which, we gather, include scholarships that have since resulted in graduates now employed abroad.

As if 15 shows a week (twice daily on television and every morning on radio five days a week) isn’t enough, Korina is into events management (she recently produced a successful concert featuring four retro bands) and car racing ("We want to be able to get the first Filipino into Formula One racing," she announces).

An art enthusiast, Korina has a collection that includes works by National Artists Victorio Edades, Jose Joya, H R Ocampo (which she got from her mother when she moved to a place of her own) and J. Elizalde Navarro. "I started buying (art) when I was starting out–talent fee pa lang bumibili na ako," she reveals. Now that she "can afford a little bit more," the acquisitions have become more significant: she recently bought a pair of Juan Luna landscapes, which occupy pride of place in the living room of home in Bel Air, Makati.

After ten years of living in a condominium, Korina is enjoying her house and garden which have brought out in her a surprising–at least to those who only see her on TV news–domesticity that has her pruning plants and doing her own flower arrangements (she even goes to Dangwa to buy her flower needs). The split-level house has provided Korina with the "perfect excuse to decorate again"–which she has indulged in with the help of interior designer Tito Villanueva.

No wonder then that she delights in weekends she can spend at home. "I pray that I have no social obligations on the weekend," she reveals, which will allow her to rise at leisure without thought of having to rush off to work. She spends time in the garden, just "listening to the sounds–the birds, the neighbor’s dog, the mynah birds three houses away and my own South African lovebirds... it’s like probinsya here–I love it!"

Often she will go back to bed, she confesses sheepishly, waking up in time for lunch, accompanied by a good dvd ("Naku, I’m never huli sa balita when it comes to movies," she says). The day rolls leisurely along with more time spent in the garden, working out some, then "I watch Will and Grace!" she laughs.