KUNG MAY PAGKAKATAON din lang (lalo’t when I’m not out on a drinking binge), sinusubaybayan ko ang programang The Bottomline with Boy Abunda that airs late Saturday night.
My one-time guesting as one of the so-called bottomliners reminded me of focus group discussions (FGDs), kung saan suki ang inyong lingkod whose topics range anywhere between local politics and pharmaceuticals.
Pero kakaiba ang programang ito ni Kuya Boy. To the unfamiliar, the show opens with the host entering the war room to meet the bottomliners. Klaro kung sino ang subject, questions for clarification are laid, Kuya Boy intently listens to them as he prepares for the next sequence kung saan nakakaharap na niya ang kanyang panauhin.
Nitong Sabado, guest ni Kuya Boy si BIR Commissioner Kim Henares, yes, the “chief collectress” of the least understood government agency. Bagama’t may kabigatan nang konti ang paksa tungkol sa buwis, Kuya Boy managed to steer the discussion, in part though, towards a showbiz direction.
Recently, the BIR is reportedly in hot pursuit of Mark Herras. Dawit ang aktor sa umano’y tax evasion case stemming from a business partnership ng isang bar/resto in Cubao, the accounting records of which ay ipina-subpoena na raw, ipasumite ni Mark sa BIR. Mark, however, denied having had a direct involvement in the establishment kahit siya pa ang itinuturong corporate treasurer nito.
With Henares’s guesting on the Bottomline, niliwanag niya na hindi sinampahan ng kaso ng BIR si Mark, taliwas sa napabalita. Categorically, hinihingan lang si Mark ng ahensiya ng mga kaukulang dokumento, but no such tax evasion charge has been filed.
That particular episode of Kuya Boy’s program must be a relief for Mark who, for sure, may not be watching nu’ng mga sandaling ‘yon dahil ayon na rin sa doctor’s advice ay kailangan nito ng pahinga to be able to gain his weight back due to work pressures.
But I will not dwell more on Mark’s enlightened case with the BIR. Biases set aside, saludo ako sa programa ni Kuya Boy (notwithstanding ang mismong host nito) dahil sa pagtalakay ng mga napapanahong isyu para sa interes ng mga ordinaryong mamamayan in a manner that from beginning to end, it leaves its viewers with their mind-boggling questions answered.
LUCHI CRUZ-VALDEZ is one of the few broadcast journalists who have come full circle. Luchi traces her roots to RPN 9 bilang anchor sa Newswatch Filipino Edition, then her journalistic wings had flown her to ABC News with Che-Che Lazaro.
What Luchi learned the American way of broadcasting ay siya naman niyang bitbit en route to ABS-CBN in 1986 that saw the birth of Probe Team. Taong 1998 when Luchi left the team to join GMA 7, only to return to ABS-CBN in 2001 as vice president for News & Currrent Affairs.
Totoong some good things never last, forced to resign si Luchi sa Dos for some reason, and now she heads TV5’s news department. If you notice kung gaano kaagresibo ang mga news programs ng Kapatid Network, credit goes to Luchi, the lady who has found her rightful place under the sun.
BLIND ITEM: IT took a less deserved token of gratitudes for a popular comedienne to realize that an equally popular female celebrity is merely her showbiz friend.
Hindi sa materyoso ang komedyana, ang kanya lang, sana’y naging parehas ang kaibigan niyang aktres sa pagbibigay-pabuya sa naitulong niyang malaki sa kuya nito. Bilang pasasalamat kasi ng aktres ay niregaluhan niya ng isang uri ng appliance ang komedyana, pero ang ibinigay naman nito sa isa pang komedyana ay isang sasakyan.
Kailan lang daw kung tutuusin tumulong ang isa pang komedyana sa kuya ng aktres, hindi tulad ng naghihimutok na ating bida na mula’t sapul ay sumama pa sa mga rally in support of the actress’s family, wala pa man ito sa puwesto.
Nang iparating ng komedyana ang kanyang tampo sa aktres sa pamamagitan ng text message ay sumagot naman daw ang huli. Alam naman daw ng umaning aktres na ikinahihinampo naman talaga ng komedyana ang kanyang gesture.
Hindi na nag-reply pa ang komedyana, du’n na niya napagtanto na ang namamagitan sa kanila ay showbiz friendship lang, in other words, hindi win na win.___________-
Pepperoni
by Ronnie Carrasco III
