"Sometimes I feel like malapit na akong mamatay," she unexpectedly admits without a tinge of sadness. "Seriously, lahat ng gusto ko binibigay ng Diyos. We look at death as something scary. I’m sure, if I knew I was dying tomorrow, I would be scared. But death is a part of life di ba? By knowing and accepting that it will come, you appreciate life more. You don’t try to avoid it but you cherish every moment."
Her 30-year-old life has been quite an adventure. Most of its highlights were unplanned and providential. To her advantage, she offered no resistance.
Bernadette took up business administration at UP Diliman. Raised in a family of bankers, the idea was almost automatic. There was no doubt she had the brains to qualify for a demanding course. But earning that degree was far from easy. Working with numbers was such a challenge that she insists her college diploma is still her greatest achievement.
Ironically, five months into her training at the FarEast Bank, she realized her passion lay elsewhere. That passion, Bernadette thought, could be tapped by being a stock broker or a flight attendant. Broadcasting was furthest from her mind. Then, her older brother suggested she audition at IBC 13 as a news reader. It was that unceremoniously, in 1997, that she joined Philippine media.
Believing everything happens for a reason, Bernadette saw meaning even in her lack of media training. "The nice thing about not having a mass comm degree is the humility," she insists. "Alam mong you don’t know anything kaya magpapa-kumbaba ka talaga. You know that yung mga kasama mo know much more than you so you tend to absorb things from them. Yun ang mentality ko when I entered the TV industry. But, until now, I realize that it’s also smarter not to admit you know everything because you learn more in the process."
One of the first things she discovered was her itch to do field work. Though reading the news meant less stress, she craved the excitement of being in the middle of unfolding events.
On this summer mid-morning, the re-telling of her life takes place in Bound, a quaint little bookstore she co-owns with fellow National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) chairman and Philippine Graphic editor-in-chief Inday Espina-Varona, NUJP secretary-general and New York Times stringer Carlos "Caloy" Conde, NUJP officers May Rodriguez and Rowena Carranza-Paraan.
Reading, she realized, is one of her passions. But li-ving is her greatest passion. "I read a lot of books but nothing beats the experience of being there. Para sa akin, iba yung binabasa mong dine-describe ang isang bagay sa libro or sa dyaryo at iba din yung andun ka talaga at nararamdaman mo ang pinagdadaanan ng mga tao. I love meeting people, more the poor than the rich for some reason. Parang I’m just more masa. None of my teachers developed this in me. Wala din kaming family members na into charity. Baka I was born this way?" she concludes.
Without knowing it, life was preparing her for an unusual calling. Bernadette developed a concern for the urban poor at an early age. As a young school girl, she was touched by the sight of street kids selling flowers and cigarettes daily on her long commute from their home in Fairview to the Angelicum Campus behind Sto. Domingo Church.
"Yun ang una kong exposure sa poverty," she shares. "You know, to me, it’s still so surreal na napunta ako sa field na ito. I keep thinking na there really is a reason kasi I didn’t really have the background. Of course, I knew I liked writing and I liked field work. But I really didn’t process it and tell myself I wanted to be a broadcaster or a journalist. I always thank God that He led me here. Apparently, this is the job I should be doing. It’s interesting that, even in high school, I loved doing research. I even did a term paper on street children. I think mataas talaga ang social consciousness mo kapag taga Maynila ka. You really see poor kids in the streets. So yun ang una among maiisip kapag mapag-usapan ang social injustice."
During her time in UP, Bernadette again chose poverty as a topic for one of her term papers. But it wasn’t until she was doing the news on TV that she realized she could earn a living doing what she enjoyed the most–uncovering stories about the poor.
It was unfortunate that IBC 13 was a humble station with only three news crews. Thus, she had little hope for immediate assignments. Again, fate didn’t fail her. Bernadette found herself inside the GMA 7 compound accompanying her then boyfriend to a TV guesting on Mel and Jay. During a casual conversation with host Jay Sonza, she learned the station was in need of a news reader. Just like that, five short months into her TV career, Bernadette auditioned for entry into one of the country’s premier networks.
GMA 7 instantly hired her as a news reader for their hourly news breaks. From the start, Bernadette said she preferred covering the news to reading reports on air. Her boss, Marissa Flores, would later chide her for volunteering to be a production assistant. This, she thought, was the surest way to achieve her goal. But a news reader she remained until one day when, without warning, she was told to do her first field report. The story was about the day-after cleanup of the 1998 elections. That was followed by other coverages. Her most unforgettable report was, expectedly, about the tragic fire at the Asociacion de las Damas Filipinas in Paco, Manila where young orphans and poor kids perished. Bernadette was stationed at the morgue to interview families who were identifying bodies.
Soon enough, she ventured into writing and producing. Her debut stint was with Brigada Siete–a project she sought out. Later, she would write for Extra, Extra. Then, Nessa Valdellon tapped her to contribute stories to Probe.
"In my life, as a journalist, the best experience I’ve had was working for Probe. Cheche Lazaro is my mentor," she announces.
Even so, Bernadette had no role models for the next phase of her career. GMA launched a new type of public service program entitled Wish Ko Lang in 2002. She auditioned and became not only the show’s host but also a real-life fairy godmother to countless viewers desperate for a better life.
"I admit that Wish Ko Lang made me a household name. I became an instant fairy godmother because of that show. Up until now, people call me Wish Ko Lang and it surprises me really. The fairy godmother image that GMA 7 built for me has stuck. Before, people used to approach me asking for help. That doesn’t happen as much now since I’m no longer the host of the show," she concedes. "But andun pa din ang impression na madali akong lapitan. Ang naging pananaw ko before I left Wish, which was crucial, somebody else can always host the show but whatever goodness I want to give to the world should not end with Wish Ko Lang. But, at that time, how could you let go of something like that? It was a big, big decision to leave GMA and the show."
In September of 2003, Bernadette faced a crossroads in her career. A controversial expose she did for The Probe Team created such a stir that she felt compelled to cut ties with GMA 7. Refusing to say much more about her former network, she stresses: "Of course, it was a difficult time in my life. I invested a lot into my career. Even during holidays like Christmas and weekends, if I’m told I need to cover a story I do it because I loved my job. But one story can really change your life forever. One moment in your life can change everything that you’ve planned."
Suddenly jobless, Bernadette considered helping street kids through NGO work. Her media career, she thought, had come to an end.
One agonizing month of aimlessness kept her off the air. But, immediately after she entertained offers made by ABS-CBN, she was back on TV. What clinched the deal was the fact that the network already had a show for her. Lukso ng Dugo, a documentary drama that aimed to bring estranged family members together, was conceptualized with "someone like Bernadette Sembrano" (decided upon through a survey of viewers) as host.
That image, of a broadcaster with a big heart, has stuck. Shows assigned to her by ABS-CBN seem to fit in that mold. Some weeks ago, Bernadette started hosting Nagmamahal Kapamilya on Tuesday nights. Touching stories about OFW and their families are dramatized. "We also interview OFWs in different countries but we don’t air these like travelogues. We show the difficulties and trials our kababayans have to go through while working abroad," she explains.
Bernadette is also seen regularly on Magandang Umaga Pilipinas on week days and TV Patrol World every weekend. Occasionally, she contributes stories as producer/reporter to The Correspondents.
"I’m glad I’m back to broadcast journalism," says the beaming host. "Recently, I did a story for Correspondents about rural folk who migrated to Manila. I chose a community in the pier area where people lived in container vans. It was exhausting to do. As a person, hindi ako sososyal-sosyal. I hope my work gives the rich an opportunity to see the plight of the poor. When people started calling saying they wanted to help, I felt convinced this was my job. More than anything, when I write, I address the poor. I talk to the poor because I feel they need to learn. Sila ang audience ko. I keep that in mind. But, when I write, I end up reaching out to the rich as well. Yun ang maganda sa trabaho namin."
Not too long ago, this broadcaster’s column started appearing weekly in The Star’s Entertainment Section. This, she adds, allows her to reach out to a different audience. Sharing photos and stories with her readers has also drawn attention to her advocacies. With caution she qualifies: "But, as I learn about certain things in life, I realize that more than charity, I want people to become empowered. Public service should not mean people depending on others. I think it should be about gaining empowerment."
Her work days find her getting up at 4 am and turning in no later than 10 pm. But she denies all she does is work. Bernadette says she has time for a private life (she is in a serious relationship with a non-showbiz boyfriend) and other things (diving practically every Saturday at Anilao and taking up the guitar and photography).
She has accepted that the bookstore is more like a hobby than a money-making venture. That’s not to say her business degree has gone to waste. Bernadette has ventured into building and selling town houses. In the nick of time, she realized she was also meant to be an entrepreneur.
Naturally, more and more people ask when she plans to be a wife and mother. Knowing that the turning points in her life come unexpectedly, Bernadette sees no need to feel pressured. "I just turned 30 and I love…my life. Everything is just so at peace. Even me as a person, hindi na ako masyadong nara-rattle. There are just some things that you let go of. Kung mas bata ka kasi lahat pinoproblema mo. There’s something good about growing old which is being at peace with yourself. You accept that you’re not a superwoman."