Episode 79: Malou Mangahas | Surprise Guest with Pia Arcangel

last year

Ang isa sa mga batikan at mahusay na investigative journalists ng bansa na si Malou Mangahas ang surprise guest ni Pia Arcangel sa kanyang podcast.

Sa isang bihirang pagkakataon ibinahagi niya ang kanyang pagiging journalist, buhay-pamilya at iba pang kuwento sa harap at likod ng camera.

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Transcript

00:00 Hi everyone, surprise! And welcome to a new episode of Surprise Guest with Pia Arcangel

00:07 where every episode is an unexpected conversation. And today we're gonna have something just

00:13 like that because we don't know who we'll be joining us today. Here are the clues.

00:20 Clue number one, one of the most credible and highly respected journalists of our time.

00:25 Uh-oh, I think I know who our guest will be. Okay, is there a second clue?

00:30 "Palaban at hindi uurungan ang mga usaping bayan. Matinik sa investigative reporting.

00:37 Mapangahas magtanong, pero may paggala." Oh, ayan na nga!

00:42 Is our surprise guest for today, Ms. Malou Mangahas?

00:45 Yes! Ms. Malou, how are you?

00:49 Oh, pwede ba magpahulaan ng kapalaran sa New Year?

00:52 Ms. Malou, how are you? Of course, you were in my very original list of guests with the

00:57 first clue pa lang. Pero syempre, baka male, female, hindi natin alam. But with that last

01:02 clue na "mapangahas magtanong," eh, alam na natin na ikaw yun.

01:06 Oh, nga eh. I'm doing fine. Actually, we're doing our "The Mangahas Interviews" program.

01:12 Magtatatlong taon na kami. First week of December, we're entering our fourth year at marami pa

01:17 rin makukulit na dapat ma-interview.

01:20 Wow! Imagine that! It's been four years already.

01:22 Three! Going four!

01:24 Going four, yes. So fourth year this anniversary. Wow! Ms. Malou, alam naman natin, like we

01:31 said in the opening or in one of our clues na talaga "mapangahas magtanong," I was wondering,

01:35 'cause I've caught some of your episodes and I'm thinking, "Hindi po ba kayo kinakabahan

01:40 ever to ask those tough questions?" Kaba in the sense na, not balikan in the violent sense,

01:46 pero you know, baka somehow may, someday they will come back, these questions might come

01:51 back to haunt you in some form or another.

01:53 Actually, I am very blessed na meron akong mahusay na team. I think ang critical sa lahat

01:58 naman ng interview, as you would know, is matiba yung research at makinig. Ang critical din,

02:05 of course, is parang tipong mag-aral kung ano yung medyo sensitive at difficult questions

02:12 at pag itatanong yun, magpasintabi na kailangan pong tanongin, pasensya na po, kailangan po

02:19 matanong. Or minsan yung pag-prep din ng interviewees na ayaw mo naman silang bigyan ng partida na

02:26 parang kid gloves treatment, pero kailangan nilang tapatin yung mga tanong. And so we

02:31 advise them na nag-re-research po kami, medyo matindi po yung ilang tanong, pero magalang

02:38 po ang pagpasok ng mga tanong. Ah, pero Ms. Malou, so this is your third year and this

02:43 is your first online format, is that correct? First online video format?

02:48 Actually, meron kami prior to the mga interviews yung Better Normal PH na ginawa namin. Parang

02:55 yung panahon ng COVID, we wanted to look at yung situations ng mga tao para mga short

03:01 investigative features para makita din natin kung ano yung kalagayan ng mga mamamaya natin

03:07 at yung mga issues ng panahon ng COVID. Ito yung pangalawang program, pero this time around

03:13 parang public affairs talk ang gusto nilang gawin ng mga interviews.

03:18 Was it a difficult transition for you? Kasi syempre, the setup is, ikaw magsetup, although

03:23 it's a simple setup, pero di ba nakakakaban na are you recording, are your lights okay,

03:29 is your background okay? Medyo nung una, nanganganay din kami, but of

03:33 course my producers helped me go through it, na medyo seamless yung arrangements. So, kailangan

03:39 medyo tama yung lighting so all the lights in the house dapat open. Or kailangan tahimik

03:45 yung lugar, walang ingay, walang doorbell na naka-on. Or kailangan din, syempre, pinakamahalaga,

03:52 pasok yung research early on para may pagkakataon kami i-update to keep it as current as possible.

03:59 Like you said, research is very important, especially for your show's format. Like how

04:02 many days in advance do you have to have done your research?

04:05 Depende sa topic eh, kasi minsan meron mga quickie kami ng interviews because we wanted

04:10 to put in context sa breaking news. Yon, medyo madalian yun. Kaya lang, all of us are really

04:17 quite adept sa pag-monitor ng current events o ng mga balita, araw-araw. May mga issue

04:24 naman na medyo mahirap kasi kailangan may historical overview ka, katulad itong Israel-Hamas

04:30 war. Marami-maraming tataluntunin mong dekada. Or even yung confidential funds and intelligence

04:37 expenses. Hindi lang naman kasi ngayon lang naganap, maraming mga backstory. Diba? Nung

04:42 nagkaroon ng pork barrel ruling ang Supreme Court, yung disbursement acceleration program.

04:47 At minsan naman, medyo kakaiba yung taong haharap dahil hindi kami ganun kafamilyar.

04:52 So pati yung background check doon sa personalidad, kailangan din namin gawin bilang pag-alang

04:59 kung ano man yung achievements niya. So madi-discover mong minsan na parang halimbawa si Senate President

05:05 Zubiri, meron palang sportsmanship na nakalipas. So yung mga ganon kakaiba. And then minsan

05:13 yung mahalaga din, syempre maghabul ka ng source na tugma doon sa topic. Ang problema natin

05:18 pagka public officials na medyo mataas ang pwesto, mailap. O kaya parang tipong, "Sige,

05:25 sa susunod na lang, sa susunod na lang." Ang difficulty din naman ng iba is natatakot,

05:30 nahumarap. Kasi baka daw kung anong tanong, sabi nung isang government lawyer, para daw

05:36 nag-revalida siya? Para daw nag-court appearance siya? Parang ganun. Sabi ko, "Hindi naman

05:42 o, sanay naman kayo dapat sa ganyan." Ang pinakamahirap yung mga elective officials,

05:47 mga politiko. Kasi parang conscious sila sa kanilang imahe at ayaw nila magkamali.

05:53 Ayaw din nila minsan tumutok sa mga kontrobersya.

05:57 So, hindi pala pwede sa inyo, Ms. Malou, ang surprise?

06:00 Hindi. Tinatakot namin yung mga guests na, halimbawa lalo na nung panahon ng eleksyon.

06:06 So, we had all the candidates for president and vice president na nakalign up. Although

06:11 hindi naman lahat humarap, katulad ni President BBM, mailap talaga. Vice President Sara, mailap

06:17 talaga. Pero syempre, may mga mas madali, may mga mas mahirap na paghahanda. Katulad ng

06:22 kunyari, si Sen. Manny Pacquiao. First time niya na may full-length interview. And I was

06:27 very careful na parang aralin talaga kung ano yung mga nagawa na niya. At hindi siya sumahin

06:34 bilang sportsman lang o bilang atleta lang. Kasi may mga ginawa siya na maayos naman.

06:40 Mahalaga ding bagay yung parang tipong pagtapat doon sa pace o kaya bilis o bagal ang pagsasalita

06:49 o pagmunimuni ng ating mga guests.

06:52 Pero meron naman kayo Ms. Maluna, guess na umuulit naman.

06:56 Oo. Kasi may mga issue tayong paripitri. Parang yun yata yung kwento ng Pilipinas.

07:00 Parang tutuloy ang susunod na kabanata. Hindi nagtatapos minsan. At yun yung regretful, yun yung

07:06 parang malungkot. Sa maraming mga usaping bayan na malalaki, we never seem to have our

07:11 conclusion. Parang walang pagsasara kung sino may sala, kung sino dapat usigin, kung sino

07:18 dapat makulong o kung may mga kaso man, parang walang nagtatapos na paglilitis.

07:24 I think ang critical dito is yung pagpapahayag na you would play fair. Tapos yung paggalang

07:32 na you've researched the story or the issues well enough. So talaga pung gusto naming tapataan

07:39 kung ano yung gusto ninyong ipahayag na informed din kami. O maayos din yung aming pag-alala

07:45 at pag-intindi sa mga usapin. Mayroon ding pasubali na parang of course may mga ilang

07:52 interviewees na government officials na talagang no entry yung territory ng mga sensitive at

07:59 confidential ng mga bagay-bagay. Bawa kung Philippine National Police or Armed Forces

08:03 of the Philippines or even some of the Cabinet members na hindi pwede dalwala pang desisyon.

08:10 And we'd like to respect that. But of course we try as much as possible to get into the

08:15 story. Katulad nung yung Maharlica magkakaiba yung opinion ng ilan na Cabinet members. They'd

08:22 rather not get into a collision course with the proponents but we know na meron silang

08:28 alinlangan sa issue. So we try to get it in a way na pasok yung context, pasok din yung

08:35 unique input nila.

08:36 But Ms. Malou, of course we see na parang yung years ninyo of experience as a journalist

08:42 and as an investigative journalist. Nakikita namin dito sa show na ito. Pero is it okay

08:47 kung ikuenta nyo po sa amin kung paano ba talaga kayo nag-umpisa bilang isang investigative

08:52 journalist or as a journalist? I mean investigative na ba talaga ang una ninyong pagsabak?

08:58 Nagsimula ako actually campus writer ako. I was a collegian editor sa University of the

09:03 Philippines and later on student council chairperson. And from then on I thought that journalism

09:09 would be the path I'd like to pursue. Although sana mag-law school ako. Kaya lang things

09:14 got in the way. Student leader ako, nahuli ako at nadala sa pikutan for alleged subversion.

09:21 Wala naman yung kasong yun years later. But of course after makulong ka na, yun yung interrupted

09:30 somehow yung mga plano mo na magpatuloy ng law school. And then I got into newspaper

09:36 work one after the other. And that was it. In 1989, we thought, kami ng mga kasama ko

09:43 sa PCIJ co-founders, si Sheila Coronel, si Marites Vitug, si Lorna Calautirol, si Beth

09:50 Vitug, si Howie Severino. Parang tipong nag-edsa na, pero mukhang balik-ugali tayo. Yung bangayan

09:58 lang yung media. Away-away yung mga politiko. So we thought that maybe we could contribute

10:03 a little by trying to nurture a culture for investigative reporting. Ito naman yung parang

10:09 simple pangarap lang noon na baka naman yung ibang reporter matulungan with some funding

10:16 to take a leave of absence from their primary duties sa newspapers, TV at radio to do work

10:23 with us. And that's got us started into doing investigative reporting as a focus. We do

10:29 training as well. We do website data development sa PCIJ. And that's it. So, pati pagdating

10:40 ng GMA7, we launched a program before COVID, yung investigative documentaries. So that

10:47 was the idea of our producers there. Sila J.J. Jimeno, sila Nessa Valdelio, na maybe

10:53 we could do something different on TV na investigative ang peg. Hindi naman kasi dapat special siopaw

11:01 o special menu yung investigative journalist. Ang tingin namin sa Philippine Center for

11:07 Investigative Journalism na isa ako sa co-founder, all reporting should be investigative. Depende

11:14 yan sa tutok, sa sipag, at saka sa talagang earnest effort ng lahat ng ating mga reporter.

11:23 Hindi special group ang investigative journalist. It's important to look at ourselves, all the

11:29 work that we do. Na sana may investigative work. Hindi lang simple yung parang he said,

11:35 she said, pero konting effort pa. Dagdag research pa. Mahalagang bagay yun kasi yung pagtitiwala

11:41 ng publiko, babalik yun because they would appreciate really good work. And I guess yung

11:47 parang kabilang panig naman, don't ever think yung investigative journalism is gotcha journalism.

11:53 Parang tipong just catching crooks or parang kuli o bisto. Yung yung kabilang panig na iniiwasan

12:00 namin kasi when you do an investigative report in truth, day after the story runs, parang tipong

12:06 magkakaroon ka ng self-doubt o malulungkot ka na, naku baka may mali. Naku baka may mga anak

12:14 yung taong nandun sa balita na baka masaktan or baka malagay sa peligro or makansawan ng mga

12:24 kaplasi sa eskwela. So, hindi siya ganoon kagandang feeling if you catch crooks through investigative

12:32 reporting. Merong pangambang magkikick in. Merong pag-alala na baka may masaktang mga bata.

12:39 Parang the way you say it's so casually, pero syempre in this day and age, pag nangyari yun sa isang

12:45 campus journalist, that would be such a big deal. I'm sure even then naman. Pero pwede nyo ba ikuwento

12:50 sa amin a little more about that experience? Gano'n kayo katagal na detained?

12:53 Alos apat na buwan sa Bicutan and then sa Crame. I was the last student out of Crame. Pero I'd say

12:59 hindi sa paraang light kasi compared with what I went through, napaka gaan. Nung karanasan na yun

13:07 dahil yung ibang mga studyante na nahuli noon, talagang hindi natutukan yung mga kaso mas nagtagal.

13:14 Or even then may mga sa Bicutan may tinatawag kami ng datnan panawan. Ito yung mga dadatna na

13:20 ng mga bagong detainees, papanawan ng mga bagong detainees nandoon pa rin dahil mga 10 taon,

13:26 12 taon na nandoon. So, you feel like parang it's a little light being a detainee kung ganoon

13:34 lang kaikuli yung panahon. And of course, I had the support of my parents and the student council.

13:39 At the time, parang President Marcos and then Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile

13:46 were issuing, tawag nila aso, arrest search and seizure order left and right. So, about 120

13:53 students at the time, nung ako'y nahuli na, were in jail at Bicutan mostly and in Camp Crame.

14:00 Yung iba, nahuli lang dahil kasama sa mga rally, mga kilos protesta, tawag dun ng mga aktivista.

14:07 Yung iba, dahil talaga may arrest search and seizure order, katulad ko dahil ako'y student council

14:11 president and before that, Collegian Editor. So, mga isang taon na naghahabulan kami,

14:17 that arrest order was about a year old already. And at that time, I was possibly arrested kasi I

14:24 was supposed to speak at the rally for the Pope, youth rally ng Pope with my colleague from

14:30 University of Santo Tomas. So, I think yun yung ayaw lang ni President Ferdinand Marcos na mangyari.

14:39 So, at the time, dahil the Pope was coming, merong kung matatandaan ninyo, bata ka pa yata noon,

14:45 merong nominal lifting of martial law. This was 1981. So, I was arrested November

14:52 1980. Yung 1981 na yun, ang pangako ng Pangulo is, well, ililift na yung martial law. And he did,

14:59 about February parang ganun. So, hindi naman lahat pinalaya. Ang nangyari, ako and a female worker

15:07 were transferred to Camp Krame and the male detainees were brought to Muntinlupa. So,

15:13 parang kunyakunyari lang naman. But of course, Bicutan was a showcase prison. So, even in Bicutan,

15:19 you will learn a lot. I would have learned and I did learn a lot of lessons on actually how

15:26 comparatively yung the misery that we confront is much less than the misery of other people.

15:33 Yung mga tatay nanay na nawalay sa mga anak. And at that time, I was myself, of course,

15:38 my parents were very worried, my sisters and brother. Pero that was parang a walk in the park.

15:46 But the learning that I had was much greater kasi parang tipong meron kang patience,

15:52 meron kang humility, meron kang empathy sa mga tao. At sa loob ng Bicutan, naging akong cook,

16:00 naging akong tinder. But that was a very good experience kasi nakakatawa yung kwento ng buhay

16:06 ng mga detainees. Habang nandun kayo, Miss Malu, ano yung pinagkakabalahan nyo?

16:11 Pampalipas ng oras, aside from yung mga pag-assign sa'yo na maging cook, ganyan?

16:15 Actually, lahat ng mga detainees meron parang nirorotate yung mga duties. So at that time,

16:22 ang aming trabaho, mga estudyante, tumulong dun sa, I don't know if you are familiar with it,

16:28 yung mga pendant ng mga detainees. Yung buto ng baka na ginigiling para tipong makrame.

16:34 Tawag dun, ano, gagawa ng pendant. First off, we were assigned to do the necklace, yung makrame.

16:39 Eh hindi pantay. Parang limang piso bawat necklace yata ang dapat bayad. So nilipat kami,

16:47 mag-cucutics, mag-n-natural lacquer na lang ng mga pendant. And then, yun parang pareho din. But we

16:53 never did well. I think iba talaga yung may talent, ano, para sa mga ganung bagay, the finer things in

16:59 life. So, and then, merong duty bawat building. Katlo kasi yung building ng mga kalalakihan,

17:05 mas marami sila. Isang building lang yung sa mga babae. So, magro-rotate yung pagliluto for everyone.

17:11 At the time, I think mga 60 to 80 yung nandun sa Bicutan. It's a showcase prison. So may allowance

17:17 kami na pinupul for meals. And then, para ma-stretch, baga, yung budget na yun, mamimili yung mga nanay

17:24 ng ilang detainees. At ang madalas nun, parang stretch-stretch ka, sardinas. Lahat ng klase na

17:30 luto na sardinas. May pechay, tortang sardinas, sardinas na may miswa, or yung mga manok pa.

17:37 Miswang sardinas.

17:39 Yung mga pakpak ng manok, tawag siyempre ng mga detainees para may political context,

17:44 baguis. Yun yung niluluto. Lahat ng klase ng pagluto.

17:48 Nagkaroon ba kayo ng pagkakataon na magsulat habang nandun kayo?

17:51 Ay, yeah. Parang I was writing letters. At that time to my boyfriend, he's now my husband,

17:56 si Roel, he's a journalist also. Pero I was writing letters to the council officers kasi

18:02 yung ilang din ay merong arrest order. I was writing letters to my parents, of course.

18:08 And at that time, parang partly ang difficulty mo is actually to keep in touch with the world

18:13 outside. Kasi iba din naman siyempre yung alerto ka kung ano nagaganap. And of course may mga

18:20 pangyayari na magiging mahalaga din. Bago ako dumating, nag-hunger fast, nag-hunger strike.

18:26 Yung mga detainees. Nung lumipat naman kami sa crame, nag-hunger strike. Parang tiba,

18:32 "Ano ba 'to?" Puro hunger strike na lang. Anyway, ang difficulty doon sa Bicutan largely,

18:39 yung tawag nila yung buryong, boredom. So you'd have to find ways to really deal with it,

18:45 overcome it. So your fellow detainees are a good source of somehow hope.

18:52 But Ms. Maluy, an experience like this would probably discourage some people from pursuing

18:59 a career parin in journalism. Kasi nga after an experience like that, sino ba naman ang may gusto

19:03 makulong? Pero how did you make it work for you to strengthen your resolve to really pursue a

19:08 career in journalism? Interesting topics and insightful conversations with one of the country's

19:19 veteran and most award-winning journalist, Howie Severino. The Howie Severino Podcast was hailed

19:26 as one of Spotify's best new podcasts and has consistently been one of the top Philippine

19:33 podcasts since its launch. The Howie Severino Podcast new episode streams every Thursday

19:41 on major streaming platforms. Ms. Maluy, an experience like this would probably

19:49 discourage some people from pursuing a career parin in journalism. Kasi nga after an experience

19:55 like that, sino ba naman ang may gusto makulong? Pero how did you make it work for you to strengthen

19:59 your resolve to really pursue a career in journalism? Sa totoo lang, I was in journalism

20:05 pa third year ako tsaka lang ako naging active sa campus protest movement. Kasi we took the

20:13 collegian exams, qualifying exams yun eh, and by some coincidence I topped the exam and became

20:20 editor of the collegian. But before that, actually in high school, I was a catechist and I wanted to

20:27 be a nun. So parang tipo yung concept ng social justice ng mga aktivista, actually pareho sa

20:33 social justice concept sa Biblia kasi medyo Catholic school kami nanggaling at pareho din.

20:40 Ang difference lang is siguro yung connections sa community nung kanilang mga sinasabi,

20:47 mga mga mga gawa, mga informal settlers, mga kababaihan at ibang kabataan outside campus.

20:55 And I think yun yung mahalaga sa pag-appreciate kasi sa journalism teaching, I started also to

21:03 teach quite early. Every now and then I would lecture in journalism pero recently hindi kasi

21:08 mahirap ituro ang writing class eh. Parang ang daming iti-check at iti-correct at hindi lang

21:12 simpleng grade, marking, but also telling the students how to improve, how to work it up.

21:17 Ang difficulty ng UP I think is kahit na yung JURN or yung College of Mass Communication hindi

21:25 ganun ka well provided equipment-wise or resources-wise. Kitik sa aral yung laman na

21:31 pwede mong ilagay sa iyong pagsusulat sa UP. Sa ibang universidad medyo ayos yung technology,

21:39 medyo ayos yung provisions, yung equipment. Pero mas sanay ang UP I think dun sa tutok

21:46 ng ano yung mga isyong bayan. Of course Ateneo, LaSalle, and UST, and PUP, sumasabay ngayon na

21:54 makilahok yung mga estudyante sa pagsilip ng mga isyong bayan. Hindi naman palagay ko special

22:00 preparation yung sa journalism. If you'd ask me, I think anybody from any of the course programs,

22:07 anthropology, economics, sociology, history, they would make good journalists. So,

22:13 ang difference lang is never a learning process you could say na stop, go. Kailangan tuloy-tuloy

22:19 kasi bawat isulat natin, I personally believe we start from ground zero. Ulit-ulit, aral tayo

22:25 ulit. Dagdag value pa dun sa nalalaman na natin. Fast forward to today and the landscape of

22:32 journalism now, is it difficult for you to parang try and make sure that you retain the interest

22:39 of the audience? Kasi syempre, especially yung younger audience, mas sanay sila sa short form.

22:44 Hindi na sila masyadong manunood or makikinig pag nakahabaan sila. So how do you ensure that all

22:51 the investigative work you do is something that they will digest and absorb still? Ang PCIJ atsaka

22:58 sa trabaho ko ngayon, I am a co-convener of the Right to Know Right Now Coalition. We're trying

23:03 to make our CSOs also be in step with technology, with content. They could produce audio-video,

23:11 hindi lang simpleng text. I think dati pa nasilip na namin ng PCIJ na kailangan content appropriate

23:19 to platform. So yung long form, yung investigative reports, yung parang basic infra. But we've tried

23:26 to actually repurpose the long form content through audio-video materials like infographics,

23:32 pubmats, or even yung mga short video clips. Kasi kailangan din i-latag sa iba't ibang platform

23:40 kung ano yung content mo. But of course, magiging mahalaga pa rin for, I think, for a long,

23:46 long period of time, yung long form. Kasi they will never go away kasi merong audience din,

23:52 not really young and old lang, but also everybody in search of siguro yung the full story,

24:00 the full narrative of what's happening. That is why books are still okay. Diba? The story,

24:06 publications, and media agencies of the world are still with us, whether it's New York Times,

24:13 or The Economist, or The Guardian. Of course, kailangan pa rin na sila din mag-adapt sa

24:19 technology. Kaya meron silang mga archive, meron silang mga online, meron silang in case you missed

24:25 it, ng mga notices. So kailangan, I think, hindi lang simpling kaligtaan na content and form are

24:33 inseparable. Pero if you ask me, syempre primary pa rin ang content. And of course, sana huwag lang

24:39 kaligtaan yung form at platform na kailangan. Kasi in the end, it really is about the audience.

24:46 They matter the most. When we listened to you, Ms. Malou, talk about your career, parang

24:51 I can hear and feel the passion you have for journalism. Pero sabi niyo nga po,

24:57 it wasn't the first thing you had in mind? Gusto niyo maging madre?

25:01 Noona pa na.

25:04 Noona pa na. Parang tagal-tagal na naman.

25:08 Are there moments when you think about what other type of career you could have gotten into? Or

25:12 it doesn't even cross your mind? Kasi parang your purpose is completely fulfilled here in

25:19 your work in journalism.

25:20 Hindi pa rin. Kasi I think journalism offers us a lifelong learning process. Parang hindi

25:27 pwedeng hindi ka mag-aral. And journalism tells you that you study any and all sorts of things

25:33 important and relevant and necessary to the public that we serve. And I guess hindi siya

25:40 simply parang isang taak lang ng karir o ng pag-aaral, kundi multiple things. I still enjoy

25:47 being a journalist for that reason. I also think it would be important to remain a journalist

25:53 kasi parang people, ang dami nang nagkalabulabong mga bagay-bagay, usapan, parang ganun, mga

25:59 toxic discourses sa buhay natin. And if where I could help, I guess parang to clarify na parang

26:06 there's no substitute to good reporting. There's no substitute to parang really doing good content.

26:14 Kahit na nasa gitna tayo ng kung ano-ano kaguluhan, mga troll farms o mga echo chambers,

26:22 et cetera. Kasi in the end, I think the public wants to listen to honest brokers of discourses.

26:30 Baka ang problema lang, pagka tipong kumiling o nasilip na may panig na hindi ayos,

26:35 mahihirapan tayong ibalik ba yung public trust na 'yon. And I guess kung sakali man,

26:43 being a journalist doesn't stop you from doing other things that you like. Diba parang tipong

26:48 I do cooking. For a while when my daughter was still young, I was sewing.

26:53 Kung ano-ano klase, damit niya, punda, kurtina, et cetera.

26:57 Wow, yung damit niya.

26:57 Mga maliliit, madali lang 'yon gawin. So parang tipong there are things that you could do to

27:04 improve yourself. So when my mother was in a senior's home, she passed away last year at age 90.

27:11 So I thought parang yung lolos, lolos at lolas, they like little trinkets, yung mga beadwork ba,

27:17 na simpli lang. So parang there's always time, I think, to have occasion to do hobbies or to learn

27:25 other things aside from journalism. This is when the deadlines really beat down on you. Yung parang

27:30 tipong wow, hirap lang ba nito, story ano.

27:33 Miss Malou, kayo ba yung first journalist sa pamilya ninyo?

27:37 Well, may other relatives si Federico, mga has. Distante, no? Parang kasi we were all,

27:42 we all came from Hagunoy, Bulacan. Then the family branched out to Nueva Ecija and Palawan. So

27:49 there were writers in the family. Pero I think it was Federico, mga has. So parang great-grand

27:55 uncle, parang ganun, ang labas niya. Siya yung talaga nasa journalism. But in my case, parang ako

28:02 lang siguro yung talaga nag-focus full-time na journalism.

28:05 Nagulat po ba yung mga magulang ninyo nung sinabi nyo na? Or for example,

28:09 nung sumali kayo sa school paper, nagulat ba sila?

28:12 Hindi naman. Kasi at the time, parang it was so natural that you would get involved. I come from

28:18 sa high school, Espiritu Santo, parochial school. So parang it was so important to, and also,

28:25 I guess your teachers would prod you to either be part of the campus newspaper or to join yung,

28:33 dati 'di ba merong news candidate officers training course, yung ROT sa CAT.

28:39 Apa.

28:41 Ang yung mga ganun, parang you'd get busy. And at the time, kasi even in high school,

28:47 I was an honor student. And parang tipong kasama yun sa in-encourage. Although,

28:52 I never had a taste for parang yung maging teacher's pet, baga.

28:56 Hindi. Parang it just so happens that my grades were good. And I think my friends were also

29:04 an influence. Their grades were very good also.

29:07 Eh, Ms. Malou, how would you describe yourself as a parent? Are you a very strict parent or

29:12 easygoing and relaxed?

29:14 Hindi. I think mas relaxed kami kasi pareho kami journalist din. And my daughter is also parang,

29:21 as friends na super duper independent-minded sila. So you'd have to respect yung space na yun.

29:28 When she was young, or when she was a baby pa, syempre aral-aral ka nang gusto how to be a good

29:34 parent, mga ganun, diba? So I'm sure ikaw din. You go to yung Piaje School, sabi nila na parang

29:40 tipong dapat nurturing, diba? You go to SPOC material, literature, sabi nila, pag umiyak,

29:47 pabayaan mo lang, titigil din yan. Or you look at Gardner, yung theory niya, multiple intelligences

29:55 ang mga bata natin. So aral-aral ka dun, parang tipong guided, baga. And then, of course,

30:01 nung lumaki siya, parang independent-minded na siya, there would be yung mga nanay-nanay

30:07 dun sa community namin. Pero strict sure na ang babae, dapat ganito lang. And my daughter loves

30:13 to play with Lego, to play basketball. She was a MVP player nung high school siya sa Milo Fest.

30:21 So parang, sabi, "Kailangan mo rin i-challenge ba?" Na, "The best minds are androgynous."

30:31 My male, my female. So ang problema sa lipunan minsan is masyadong mapagusga. Ito lang ang

30:38 teritoryo ng babae, ito lang ang teritoryo ng lalaki. And then, nung nag-college siya sa UP,

30:44 Manila, ganun din yung mga teacher niya, diba? So I guess we were always there. Siguro mas yung

30:50 excess lang namin is providing so well for her. Meaning, hindi yung providing yung, mas yung mga

30:57 pagkain, yung mga ganun. The things that she would need. Parang may grocery sa bahay.

31:02 - Yung anak po ba ninyo may inkling or may hilig sa pagsusulat or sa pagre-report?

31:11 - Actually, si Ria is a digital media manager. So she writes, she does online work. She actually

31:20 also volunteers for a group called Luna's Collective. So parang they assist women,

31:28 girls with problems, gender-based violence. So sa survivors' counseling sila. She writes very well,

31:36 although hindi kami yung type ng parents na parang pokokin. For a while, she helped out as a

31:42 digital media producer sa online, sa GMA. But I think she had to migrate to other work

31:49 eventually. - Okay. So at least, parang the passion for writing,

31:55 it goes down the line. Naipasa sa sumunod na henerasyon.

32:00 - Oo naman. I guess parang everybody has some form of inclination to write. If you ask journalism

32:09 students, and I guess yung, di ba may mga secondary press conferences sa high school,

32:14 yung DEPED, so parang tipong, ang daming gustong magsulat. Ang problema lang siguro is yung,

32:20 ano yung dahilan? Bakit gustong maging writer or journalist? Many years ago, it was one of the

32:26 things I would ask my students, parang 10 years from now, how do you see yourself? What is the

32:31 thing that you'd like to be most known about? So a good number of them, actually majority,

32:36 gustong maging broadcast journalist. Yung parang on TV, on cam. And some of them, sa print,

32:41 or sa radio, or sa advertising. And then sa secondary press conference, ganun din yung

32:47 passion, yung degree of interest sa pag-on cam talent. Hindi ko nga alam kung tamang

32:52 in-encourage niyo ng mga guru. Kasi parang the form goes ahead of the content. Parang gusto nilang

32:58 mag-on cam talent kasi it's cool to be on TV, to be seen on TV, to speak on TV. Ang difficulty ko

33:06 lang doon, parang tipong nawawala yung parang ano yung pag-a-handa? Anong storya ang ikikwento

33:12 on TV? So magka tinanong may mga studyante, why do you want to be a writer or a journalist?

33:18 A good number of them, I guess up to now, paramihan would say to be famous. Parang ganun. Or

33:25 yung iba naman sabihin is siguro to serve the people or to write for the community, for the

33:32 audience. Yung iba naman to make a living, to earn a lot of money. It doesn't. Only to a blessed few.

33:40 And then yung iba parang because I am good at writing. Parang ganun. Because it's something

33:45 that I can do well. Pag nagsisimula yung klase, you would see that a lot of students would be

33:51 parang really competitive. Lalo na yung mga magaling yung lengwahe. Mga talagang lipadiwa yung

33:57 posusulat. But I caution them na sometimes good language or mastery of language or even good

34:04 writing will not guarantee you good grades. Kasi what is key is actually to put discipline on top

34:10 of talent. Yung mahalaga naman sa journalism. Not everybody will be a good journalist through and

34:17 through. But some people could be famous. Parang ganun. And we always say sa PCIJ, yung nga yung

34:23 difficulty na credibility and ethics. Parang it doesn't pay to be credible but not ethical. And

34:31 to do ethics. But sometimes malungkot naman. Hindi ganun ka-credible. Parang ganun. Or people say

34:36 credibility is what people say you are. So parang tanyag, magaling ganun. But ethics is what kind

34:41 of people you are. And I think GMA under Miss Marisa Flores had still dusted in us quite well.

34:48 Doing ethics is the good thing even when no one is looking. Yun yung hirap. Kasi I think the audience

34:55 will appreciate you, will know, without you telling them that I'm good. Merong ganun pagsilit,

35:04 very discerning ang audience. So wag dapat tawaran yung talim ng isip at sa pantahan nila

35:10 kung sino yung masipag, maayos, at saka talagang mapagkakatiwalaan na journalist. But then again,

35:17 of course, you make a mistake and that goes away quite fast at last.

35:22 It's important, I think, also for journalists to have journalists like you that we look up to.

35:28 And you know who's at the bar really high? Para syempre, diba? Parang yun yung goal.

35:32 Parang in today's parlance, yan ang peg.

35:34 Mayrop yung punya kasi you'd feel like you're so ancient.

35:38 No, not ancient. Just very highly respected.

35:42 I think yung kami nila, Jessica, would always share some points of view na medyo tugma. Call

35:49 it parang old-fashioned ba? Or parang we stay with what's important and what's necessary. For example,

35:57 yung sense namin na parang tipong, sinabi ko sa kanya yun, journalism is not a solo job. Hindi ka

36:04 mag-isa. That's why when investigative documentaries or even our programs get an

36:09 award, I always have to acknowledge and really out of my own conviction na parang trabaho namin yun

36:17 ng team. Hindi ako lang. It just so happens that siguro I do a little work for them on cam. I

36:25 work with them on script. I assist them sa research. But that's par for the course, the team's work.

36:31 And then also yung parang tipong difficulty na yung pagtawid ba, Pia? Yung activism, advocacy,

36:38 and political partisanship. Sa tingin ko, wala namang pwedeng dapat pagkutsa o pag-denyze sa

36:46 mga journalists na may pinaniniwalaan tayo o mayroon tayong mga values na pinanghahawakan.

36:52 Pero yung political partisanship, parang that's crossing the line. Medyo hindi pwede kasi dahil

36:59 we will be meeting all these people in politics, in business, possibly sa susunod na storya natin.

37:07 And it will be important to give them fair shake all the time and to tell them that,

37:12 "You know what? You're listening. Not with rose-colored lenses, but with parang tipong

37:16 the eye of the innocent." So, Ms. Malouf, pag kuinento mo yung trabaho na ginagawa ng isang

37:22 malumang ahas, parang napaka-serioso, 'di ba? Parang very difficult, ganyan, talagang very

37:31 straightforward and serious. I'm sure yung mga nakikinig sa atin, tinatanong nila,

37:35 ano pa bang ibang ginagawa ni Ms. Malouf kapag hindi siya nagtatrabaho? Kanina nabanggit niya,

37:40 you used to like sewing, you used to enjoy cooking. So, these days, when you're not working,

37:47 what keeps you busy? What keeps you entertained? I read books every now and then. Of course,

37:53 I scan and lurk sa mga news websites atsaka ibang FB pages just to be well-informed.

38:03 Actually, I have to confess that, 'di ba, meron tayong parang trolls of all sides, 'di ba? Sabi nila,

38:11 "I listen to all sides and monitor." Kasi tingin ko, hindi patas parang sabihin na troll yan dahil

38:17 not everybody is a paid troll by any of the partisans. I think a good number of our citizens

38:25 are just there to express themselves. 'Di ba? Parang may opinion sila, meron silang gusong

38:31 paniwalaan or pinupush nila or nire-retweet nila yung mga nabasa nila. But if you look at

38:40 the discourse right now, yung parang ang problema natin is may pagbansag agad ng mga paid trolls,

38:47 yung mga taong bayan. I guess the problem is that toxicity has divided us into camps

38:53 and the big gray middle, yung mga taong bayan natin na gusto lang makipagpwentuhan muna at

39:00 aralin yung mga issue. Parang yun yung kailangan natin tingnan. I also watch a lot of TV, online,

39:09 drama, k-drama, o yung mga music. But of course, paiba-iba lang yung genre na gusto mong aralin.

39:16 Sa ngayon, yung may mga balita tulad sa Ukraine, yung Israel-Hamas war, I'd like to keep in touch

39:23 with yung mga news media na yun ang tinututukan, whether that's online or on television. Kasi

39:31 mahalagang mga bagay yun. We do work also with our CSOs and do training programs for them. So,

39:39 hindi naman siya super busy na buhay. I guess ang mahalaga is yung merong pauses, merong time for

39:47 yourself, merong time for family. And all the time, I think, parang yung pressure na 'wag naman

39:54 load it up on yourself all at once.' Siguro one step at a time, but do your level best.

40:01 (D) Teka, Ms. Maluba, yung bedtime reading ninyo, baka naman the history of conflict in the Middle

40:06 East ang bedtime reading ninyo. (M) Hindi, hindi. Actually, all sorts of things.

40:13 Minsan yung babasahin mo, 'di ba yung mga health websites?' O minsan yung mga DIY websites.

40:18 Parang, 'Gano' pala pwede nyo. And then, of course, you'd want to go through shopping online.

40:26 (D) Napreempt nyo yung question ko. Tatanungin ko sana, 'Wala pa kayong guilty pleasures like

40:31 online shopping?' (M) Of course. I think lahat tayo merong ganun, parang gusto natin. Kasi nga,

40:38 when COVID happened, we were in our little corners of the world and can't do anything,

40:45 'di ba? We used to enjoy a movie sa theater or see a play sa theater, pero hindi pwede 'yun

40:52 noong panahon ng COVID. So, and then came the shopping websites na, 'Why not?' Kesa pumunta

40:59 sa mall o mag-goods. So, ganun. And you could buy a lot of things. We used to have a dog na si Chase,

41:07 kaya lang natatay siya at age 14 years. Ang dami naming nabili online, whether mga damit niya,

41:15 sapatos niya, pagkain niya. (D) Oh. Hindi naman kayo nabudol? Hindi kayo na scam online?

41:22 (M) I think, ako personally, tingin ko dapat ang gawin natin cash on delivery, if we could have

41:29 cash. Kasi mahirap din eh. Of course, we do e-wallet, but for certain things like paying

41:35 bills. Pero sa mga online shopping, lalo na at malaking halaga, mahirap kasi pagka hindi mo nakita

41:43 ba na dumating yung produkto. (D) Mahirap na 'no? Okay. Actually, alam mo, ang ini-imagine ko,

41:50 Ms. Malou, kasi 'di ba, sometimes when you see somebody so highly respected, so credible

41:56 on television, or you read their work, or you see them online, ang iniisip ko, paano ba,

42:01 para how to humanize such a respected figure? And one of the things for me, I think, that will

42:07 humanize a person is kung ano yung ginagawa nila sa bahay. Like if they do household chores,

42:12 para, kayo ba Ms. Malou, do you do your own chores? Or is, I mean, do you do your fair share of the

42:18 chores? Meron ka ba yung mga ayaw mong ginagawa talaga? Or gustong-gustong ginagawa? (M) Wala na

42:23 kaming ate sa bahay for the longest time, you know, since Rhea was, I think, 10 years old,

42:29 we returned from Harvard. Nag-neiman kasi ko sa Harvard. Tapos pagbalik namin, wala na kaming

42:34 ate. Kaming-kami nilang, katatlong piraso lang naman kami. So even when we were young, ang nanay

42:40 ko at yung papa ko taught us to do everything. Mga taw nilang ngayon dyan, life skills, ano,

42:46 sa eskwela. So I can cook, I can wash, I can do laundry, I can wash dishes, I can iron clothes.

42:54 So I think critical din yun eh. So I guess yun yung sana lang mag-catch up lahat ng ating mga

43:00 kabataan. Kasi when you're on your own, those are very useful skills and things to do. But

43:06 every now and then, of course, parang mas mayroong task sharing ba sa bahay. So I do the grocery,

43:13 I cook, pero once or twice a week lang. Kasi pwede naman magpa-deliver. Tatatlong piraso

43:20 nga lang kami. Then yung cleaning, mayroong once a week na dumadaan sa amin na ate. Mas yung

43:29 general cleaning twice a week effectively. Parang ganun. Yon. Then laundry nalang.

43:34 >> LAUREN: Laundry nalang. Pero yung what's the one chore na pinaka gusto mong pinapasal sa iba

43:41 kasi ayaw mong gawin on your own? >> ANGELICA: Ang pinaka, palagay ko yung

43:45 pinaka mahirap yung pagplancha, pag-iron. Although possibly it is because if I do it,

43:54 you'd have to be so meticulous about it. Kasi my father taught me na kailangan walang

44:01 gusot sa collar. Kailangan isa lang ang piston ng sandal. It's so difficult to do it kasi parang

44:09 you're hard on yourself, diba? Kailangan mong husay.

44:12 >> LAUREN: Miss Malu, may isa-share ako sa'yo yung sikreto na nahanap ko sa online shopping.

44:17 Yung steamer, akala ko kasi dati hindi siya gumagana, pero gumagana pala talaga ang steamer.

44:22 >> ANGELICA: Okay. >> LAUREN: Is may yung best friend?

44:24 >> ANGELICA: Parang sa mga malls, diba, yung ginagamit ako.

44:27 >> LAUREN: Yes. >> ANGELICA: Happy to help you.

44:29 >> LAUREN: Baka naunahan nyo pa ako. >> ANGELICA: I guess yun yun. Yung pag-explore

44:34 baga, tap ng mga ano yung pwedeng a little light thing that you can do despite yung mga problema

44:42 ng bayan. And of course, syempre, it is important also to constantly study and even worry. Kasi

44:50 hindi naman lahat ng bagay eh okay, you know, sa bayan natin.

44:53 >> LAUREN: Oo nga. That's true. That's true. Miss Malu, nako thank you for being so game to answer

44:59 all our questions. Some of them completely random. And dahil game na game kayo, our team

45:06 prepared a special game also for you. So let's check out the surprise game that they have

45:12 prepared. Basahin ko lang po. >> ANGELICA: Patawang baka pagsak.

45:14 >> LAUREN: Kayo pa ba, Miss Malu? I'm sure you'll pass with flying colors.

45:18 >> ANGELICA: Yung mga IT tests sa amin, yung tech namin, palagi kaming bagsak.

45:23 >> LAUREN: Di ko ma-imagine. >> ANGELICA: Di ko kumapasa masyado sa amin.

45:28 Anyway, pag IT test, okay, go. >> LAUREN: Simple lang 'to. Let's check,

45:32 Miss Malu. It's a simple Q&A game. Ang question natin is, kung bibigyan kayo ng pagkakataon na

45:38 pumili na isang guest na ma-interview, sino or bakit? So I'll give you four sets of two.

45:44 Tapos between the two, pipili po kayo na isa. Sasabihin nyo kung bakit. Okay, so let's see.

45:49 Ang first set natin, between President Bongbong Marcos Jr. or Senator Aimee Marcos, sino ang

45:55 gusto nyong ma-interview? >> ANGELICA: Si Senator Aimee.

45:58 >> LAUREN: Bakit si Senator Aimee pinili nyo? >> ANGELICA: Kasi mas kumpleto yung pagkaalam

46:02 niya, I think, ha? Sa kasaysayan ng pamilya, mas medyo may edad na siya nung time na nangyari

46:07 yung EDSA, di ba? Nasa law school pa siya noon. And I think mas mayroong intricate awareness siya

46:14 kung paano ipapaliwanag yung mga issue. Sa kabilang banda, si President BBM naman palagi

46:19 nasa TV, si Senator Aimee Mailap. Parang meron siya minsan biglang, "Woo!" Bakit kakaiba yung

46:26 opinion niya? >> LAUREN: How about between former President

46:29 Rodrigo Duterte or Vice President Sara Duterte? >> ANGELICA: Kasi si Vice President Sara. Kasi si

46:35 President Duterte, I think he has a mind of his own. He's in a world of his own. Kahit ano tanong

46:43 mo, iikot-iikot malamang, ang ina-anticipate ko lang. Kung baga parang ang key sa pag-interview

46:49 is sana merong dagdag value sa kaalaman kang maibibigay sa taong bayan. Si Vice President

46:55 Sara medyo measured yung mga pahayag niya. But I think because she is there and will likely,

47:02 possibly, run in 2028, mas mahalagang taong ma-interview si Vice President Sara.

47:10 >> LAUREN: Okay. And our last set. Nako, last pair pala, last pair. Boy Abunda or Jessica Soho?

47:18 >> ANGELICA: Palagi ko si Jessica pa rin. Kasi si Boy Abunda is a good interviewer,

47:24 but also sometimes siguro parang there's fanfare, there's a sass, twit. Si Jessica mas pwedeng

47:32 ikwento siguro yung buhay niya na sa likod ng TV. I'm sure not many people have some idea na

47:41 she takes care of her father so well, sa La Union. She cooks very well. In fact, parang

47:48 todo-todo yung ingredients. I think meron siyang siguro memories na mga parang unforgettable.

47:57 Hindi lang incidents, but persons she's met along the way. Not necessarily the big guns of the

48:03 armed forces or the cabinet, but I guess we all have our little unforgettable community of

48:11 interviewees na taong bayan. I guess yun yung mga gandang ipakwento kay Jessica.

48:18 >> LAUREN: Have you ever interviewed Ma'am Jess for a show?

48:21 >> ANGELICA: Chika-chika.

48:22 >> LAUREN: Chika-chika lang talaga.

48:25 >> ANGELICA: Oh, kasi we work together, diba? Parang sa Lucid Public Affairs kami pareho. So,

48:30 mas ganun. Hindi talaga yung interview. Siguro mahirap din siyang ma-interview kasi parang

48:36 tipong pareho kayo na mag-a-anticipate. Parang ikaw, pag-a-interview ka.

48:41 >> LAUREN: Ina-anticipate yung question.

48:43 >> ANGELICA: Anyway, so yun.

48:45 >> LAUREN: So, pwede na rin natin i-line up si Ma'am Jess sa malumangahas interviews.

48:50 >> ANGELICA: Ginawa na namin kayo mamalu ng isang line up.

48:55 >> LAUREN: Okay, sige. Kami din, marambo pa kami ng iba pang ma-interview.

48:59 >> ANGELICA: Yes. I guess my last question, Ms. Malou, for you would be,

49:03 what do you think is the most important value any journalist should have

49:08 from start to finish when they decide to pursue a career in this field?

49:11 >> MALOU: I think it would be humility. Na parang tipong we're never ever good enough

49:16 for the stories that we do. And I think it's important to say that parang we've not known

49:21 everything already. We must continue studying and learning. Humility also has to do with parang

49:28 according our peers and colleagues' respect. It's never about us alone. Parang hindi yung single

49:35 journalist ang nakapag-kunyagi kung kung ano man yung na-achieve. But it's really teamwork

49:40 that's so important.

49:41 >> ANGELICA: Thank you so much, Ms. Malou, for sharing this with us. Pakiramdam ko,

49:46 Ms. Malou, nag-attend ako ng isang seminar or kaya nag-sit-in sa klase.

49:50 Andami kong natutunan today. And I love your stories about the early years and all. Parang

49:57 nakakatuwa. Thank you for sharing all this with us today.

50:00 >> MALOU: Thank you, Pia, and good luck and congrats sa program mo.

50:03 >> ANGELICA: Thanks, Ms. Malou. Ms. Malou, last na, baka you'd like to invite them to

50:06 catch the Malou Mangas interviews po.

50:09 >> MALOU: Kami po ay merong weekly program, ang tawag ko, the Mangas Interviews, TMI.

50:14 Ito po'y umiere, Webes at hanggang or Biernes, every week. At meron din pong mga news reports

50:21 na inilalabas sa State of the Nation, sa SONA, sa GTV. Marami pong mga tinututukan kami,

50:27 pero magtatatlong taong anniversaryo na po kami this December. And we hope to continue

50:33 asking the right and most important questions ng magalang, pero matalim na paraan.

50:39 Magandang araw po sa inyong lahat. Sana manood po kayo.

50:41 >> ANGELICA: Thanks, Ms. Malou. >> MALOU: Thank you.

50:43 [MUSIC]

50:46 >> This surprise was planned by the team of Ronald Ramido and Aubrey de los Reyes,

50:50 edited by Shirley Paghiligan, with the amazing people of GMA Integrated News.

50:55 Don't forget to like and subscribe. 'Til the next surprise!

51:02 [BLANK_AUDIO]

Episode 79: Malou Mangahas | Surprise Guest with Pia Arcangel

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