Apat na beses nalagay sa panganib ang buhay ni Atty. Felipe L. Gozon noong siya ay bata pa lamang—but life had bigger plans for him.
Sa unang episode ng Power Talks with Pia Arcangel, ibinahagi ni Atty. Gozon ang kanyang inspiring na kuwento—mula sa pagiging isang batang sobrang likot at adventurous, hanggang sa pagiging isang respetadong abogado at chairman ng GMA Network.
Hindi lang ito tungkol sa negosyo, kundi pati sa disiplina, sipag, at pananampalataya na naging gabay niya sa kanyang tagumpay. Sa panahon ng digital media at mabilis na pagbabago, paano niya nakikita ang hinaharap ng GMA Network? Ano ang kanyang legacy bilang isang leader?
Alamin ang lahat ng ‘yan sa isang makabuluhang kuwentuhan! Panoorin ang buong episode.
Sa unang episode ng Power Talks with Pia Arcangel, ibinahagi ni Atty. Gozon ang kanyang inspiring na kuwento—mula sa pagiging isang batang sobrang likot at adventurous, hanggang sa pagiging isang respetadong abogado at chairman ng GMA Network.
Hindi lang ito tungkol sa negosyo, kundi pati sa disiplina, sipag, at pananampalataya na naging gabay niya sa kanyang tagumpay. Sa panahon ng digital media at mabilis na pagbabago, paano niya nakikita ang hinaharap ng GMA Network? Ano ang kanyang legacy bilang isang leader?
Alamin ang lahat ng ‘yan sa isang makabuluhang kuwentuhan! Panoorin ang buong episode.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Mabuhay and welcome to Power Talks. Today, we celebrate a true titan of Philippine media,
00:06a visionary leader who has helped shape the landscape of Philippine entertainment and television.
00:11Join us as we sit down with none other than Attorney Felipe Algozon, Chairman of GMA Network Incorporated.
00:18You really wanted to be a lawyer?
00:20It came naturally because I was really argumentative.
00:23You know the secret about me, when I don't win, I don't get nervous.
00:28When your children were still young, were you a strict parent?
00:32I don't teach my children what to do. I don't even interfere in their life or their career.
00:39How would you describe your own leadership style?
00:41As much as possible. I want to show by example.
00:45What would you say to your younger self? I mean, is there something that you would tell the young Henry?
00:50In life, you have to set a goal. And when you achieve the goal, you cannot imagine how you feel.
00:56Do you think about what kind of legacy you'd like to leave behind?
01:00It's very simple. I just like to be remembered as a good man and having done a good job.
01:11Hi everyone and welcome to the first ever episode of Power Talks where we get to sit down and speak with very special guests
01:17and take a peek into their lives and find out what it's really like for them.
01:21And today, we have none other than Chairman of GMA Network Incorporated, Atty. Felipe L. Gozon.
01:27We're excited, sir, because this will be sort of a walk down memory lane.
01:32Because we'll talk about all the things that we can talk about.
01:36Well, at my age, I have plenty of that already.
01:39You just celebrated your 85th birthday last year.
01:42So like you said, there's so much to cover, lots to talk about.
01:45We all know FLG at the helm of GMA and how you spent a huge bulk of your career in GMA.
01:51But we'd like to ask also, sir, what were like some of the defining moments or experiences in your early life
01:58that helped shape your ambition and your drive?
02:00Were you just a kid, sir? Did you want to become a lawyer?
02:03I was very, very active. Malikot, in other words.
02:08That's why when I was about two and a half years old,
02:11I fell in the narrow well in the residence of my maternal grandparents in Malabon.
02:17As in, malalim yung, sir?
02:19Malalim. Malalim yung well.
02:21And if their neighbor did not see me, I would have drowned.
02:26When I was about three years old, I was with my mother in Malabon Sugar Factory, and I fell.
02:33Nanaman, sir.
02:34I fell in the factory.
02:37Now, when I was about five years old, you know our house was near the Malabon River,
02:42and we used to swim there.
02:44When I dove backwards from the salambau, I got under.
02:49Salambau is a very wide and long bamboo raft that was used for fishing in Malabon River.
02:56And I hit my head in the barnacles under the salambau.
03:00And it was so dark.
03:02And if I did not see the light and swam towards it, I would have drowned.
03:07Now, the last was when I was about six years old.
03:10I think we were playing baseball.
03:12And when I ran after the baseball towards the street, a jeepney was passing by and hit me.
03:18And if I did not bounce from the part of the jeepney that hit me, I would have been run over and killed.
03:25At the age of six?
03:26Six, about six.
03:27I was enrolled in Malabon Elementary School in my primary grades.
03:34That's grade one to four.
03:37I got involved in almost all of the extracurricular activities there,
03:42like gagamba, touching, rubber bands, tex, sigay, you name it, I was there.
03:53And when my mother learned of that, she transferred me and my brother and sisters to Union Elementary School in Malate, Manila.
04:04So it was a very big distance from Malabon to Malate.
04:09There, there was almost no disruptive extracurricular activities.
04:15So I was forced to just study, and that was why I graduated valedictorian of Union Elementary School.
04:23And so my mother, who was a very religious and spiritual woman, told me that God must have a plan for me.
04:36That's why he allowed me to live and survive those incidents.
04:42And that impacted me consciously and subconsciously.
04:47And since that time, everything that happened to me, I attributed to God, particularly my achievements.
04:56Imagine, sir, before you hit the age of six, you experienced so many things.
05:00Oh yes, I was so malikot. I was all over the place.
05:04Would you say, sir, that you were always giving your mom a headache?
05:08Not only headache. Every time she sees me, she's very glad that I was still alive.
05:15So sir, you said that when you transferred to Union Elementary School, you were able to concentrate and focus on your studies.
05:24That was not my intention, but there was nothing else to do.
05:29So sir, it became a habit that you carried with you until high school, until college, and law school.
05:35Perhaps. But you know, I'm not really the scholar type.
05:39Because most of the subjects I took in my pre-law, I had already studied in high school,
05:45in UP Preparatory School, which was an experimental school to prepare you for college.
05:51So even though I didn't study in my pre-law, because I knew that I would pass,
05:56when you have plenty of idle time in your hands, what do you do?
05:59Then I played billiards and volleyball. And I became very good at it.
06:04You know the secret about me? When I don't win, I don't get nervous.
06:11I carried that until my first two years of my college of law proper.
06:16And that was a different ballgame. And it was a miracle, really a miracle, why I passed.
06:22But my grade was 3W. W means warning.
06:27In other words, that is below 75.
06:30But sir, after college of law, you were at the top of the bar, right?
06:36Yes. What happened?
06:38Maybe someone complained to my father.
06:41So I was there in the billiard hall, playing billiards.
06:44One weekday morning, instead of studying, when I hit the billiard ball,
06:52the stick hit my back.
06:56When I looked back, it was my father.
06:59You can imagine.
07:01You can imagine. I wanted the ground to swallow me up.
07:05But look, my father did not scold me or anything.
07:09He just looked at me and left.
07:11He didn't say anything to you?
07:12He didn't say anything.
07:13And after that, he did not speak to me for more than a month.
07:18My father can talk.
07:21That's when I realized that I was really doing something wrong.
07:25And so I stopped playing billiards. I studied.
07:28That's when I became a scholar.
07:30That's when I was able to pull my average from 3W to about 2.
07:35And I graduated among the top 10 of my class.
07:38Wow.
07:39Your early years in the legal background, were you a courtroom lawyer, sir?
07:45First, I wanted to be a trial lawyer.
07:48Because you see that in the movies.
07:51But I was so afraid to fumble or make a mistake.
07:58So before I appear, I really studied very hard the case.
08:03But you know what?
08:04Even during my time, every time I appear in court fully prepared,
08:10the case had to be postponed because there were many other cases
08:14calendared for the day.
08:17And before my case could be heard, maybe three or four times.
08:22But after every one month interval,
08:25so I had to study again before I appear again.
08:29So I said, this is not for me.
08:33It's a big waste of time.
08:36If you really study and you don't get to trial,
08:39then you really have to repress your memory again.
08:42And that's, it's not worth it.
08:45And at that time, I joined the Ponce Enrile Law Firm.
08:49Gianni Ponce Enrile, the famous Gianni Ponce Enrile now,
08:53was still there.
08:56And the two of them with Monticelio were the tax lawyers of the firm.
09:02But Gianni was appointed after Marcos won.
09:06So he had to leave the firm.
09:08And Monticelio was busy somewhere else.
09:11He was in the office, if I remember correctly,
09:14maybe only one hour a day.
09:17So the tax work fell on my shoulders.
09:21Because they knew that among the subjects I mastered in Yale
09:25was taxation.
09:27So that became your area of expertise?
09:29And I was able to do it.
09:31That's why I became a junior partner in one year and a half.
09:36Wow, just a year and a half, sir?
09:38Yes.
09:39Sir, were you the first lawyer in your family?
09:41No, my father was a lawyer.
09:43Ah, okay.
09:44So you really wanted to be a lawyer like your father?
09:47Well, it came naturally.
09:50Because I was really argumentative.
09:53Something that your mother would probably attest to, sir.
09:56Okay, as an aside, Pia,
10:00you don't argue with your mother, with my mother.
10:04It was a no-no, sir.
10:06Early on, I already learned never to argue with my mother.
10:09You will never win.
10:11So why argue?
10:13One of life's early lessons for you, sir.
10:15What I did was just agree,
10:18but still do what I want to do.
10:21Without her finding out.
10:23I got along well with my mother.
10:25So you were at the law firm, and then you were already doing your taxation,
10:29and specializing in all that.
10:31But you also decided to join the media industry
10:34when GMA Network came along.
10:36Before that,
10:38the Philippine Airlines asked me to be the head of their legal department.
10:43Because I was doing their tax work.
10:46And they had plenty of tax problems.
10:49I don't know why Belo had to leave.
10:52Belo was a senior partner of the Ponce Law Firm,
10:57Ponce and Riley Law Firm.
10:59The name of the firm then was Ponce and Riley,
11:03Sigyon Reyna,
11:05Montesilio, and Belo.
11:07I was vice president of PAL then,
11:10and I was not yet ready to leave PAL.
11:14I was barely there one year and a half.
11:17But Ike Belo told me that if I did not join him,
11:21he would just go farming in Rojas.
11:24So that convinced you, sir.
11:27I never intended to stay permanently in Philippine Airlines.
11:32Who were your early mentors or role models in your career?
11:36Well, I had plenty, but I guess ultimately it was my father.
11:42My father occupied high government positions,
11:46but he never lost his humility, honesty.
11:53He was working very hard,
11:56and he treated everybody fairly.
12:00And I saw it, and that became my role model.
12:03So from a very young age, you already saw what you wanted to be like in the future.
12:07Yes, I worked as his private secretary
12:10when he was Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
12:14I graduated, I took the bar,
12:17while waiting for my trip to New Haven,
12:22to Yale University for my graduate.
12:25I became a private secretary to my father
12:28in the Department of Agriculture.
12:30Is it difficult, sir, to work for your own father?
12:33Would you say it's more difficult?
12:34No, no. My father was a very good boss.
12:37In fact, he never told me what to do.
12:42But my assignment was to review the cases that he would sign.
12:48Ah, okay.
12:49To check the facts and to see that it's okay.
12:52Before passing it on to him.
12:54Before he signs it.
12:55Ah, okay.
12:56Aside from your father, no one else became a mentor?
12:59Senator Salonga.
13:01Vito Salonga, sir.
13:03When did you work with Senator Salonga?
13:05We've known Senator Salonga for a long time.
13:09When my father ran for governor of Rizal and he lost,
13:15Salonga was one of the campaign managers.
13:18Salonga was already a congressman then.
13:21Well, how nice, sir.
13:22I didn't know that there was a connection to Senator Salonga from way back.
13:27Yes, yes. We were together in the campaign up to 4 o'clock in the morning.
13:31You really get close.
13:32How would you describe, of course, you learn from your mentors and all,
13:36but how would you describe your own leadership style?
13:39As much as possible, I want to show by example what I expect people to do.
13:46And I tell them stories.
13:48Like, for example, when we are in a meeting with the executives,
13:55I told them about my experience in PAL.
13:58During that time, the executive vice president of PAL was very patient.
14:03You know, from 1 o'clock to 7 p.m., all I hear are explanations and excuses
14:10on why things that should have been done were not done.
14:15Up to the point when I asked permission not to attend anymore
14:18because it was a waste of my time.
14:21The executive vice president told me that sometimes a legal question can arise
14:26and we will need you there.
14:28So what I did was to bring my work there and did my work during the meeting.
14:33So I told the GMA executives, I learned from that not to listen to excuses.
14:41We better talk about how not to repeat the mistake
14:45and how to do things properly after that.
14:49That's the better approach.
14:52Rather than talking about why things were not done,
14:55it's better to talk on how things should be done.
14:59And, sir, would you say that through the years,
15:01your leadership style has evolved somehow?
15:05No, I have been constant.
15:08You can ask the executives.
15:10I am very proud that the network became number one in ratings and net income.
15:17It has beaten its competition, as you know.
15:19We know the story about how you came to be involved, of course, with GMA.
15:23And at the time that Uncle Bob offered you to come into GMA's,
15:26GMA was not what it's like now.
15:28No, of course not.
15:30There was no hesitation on your part at all?
15:32You know, at that time, GMA was, it was RBS.
15:37And it was at the bottom of the TV industry ladder.
15:43It was losing.
15:45RBS was still black and white.
15:47And the guys who are older than you, Pia,
15:51would remember that combat had been shown in RBS for so long.
15:57And Popeye, and they are in black and white.
16:00Why is that what GMA is now compared to what it was when you first got it?
16:05Through our resources and friendship with bankers,
16:09we were able to get an eight million peso loan.
16:13And we used that to put RBS in color and to pay the supplier,
16:18so we were able to get new content.
16:21That's where Rich Man, Poor Man, Charlie's Angels came from.
16:25Combat and Popeye the Sailor Man were replaced.
16:28And it became colored, sir.
16:30It became colored.
16:31And at that time, you were able to do only eight million.
16:33So we were able to earn.
16:35In simple words, we were able to earn.
16:37We were not number one in ratings.
16:40Although in some cases, like Rich Man and Poor Man,
16:43but our income were not as big as now.
16:47If I remember correctly, it was like 200 million or below annually.
16:53But we were able to earn.
16:55GMA has accomplished so much since then.
16:57Oh, yeah.
16:58What else do you envision for GMA?
17:00Modesty aside, I think GMA accomplished many things
17:05after I assumed the chief executive position in October 2000.
17:12The leadership, sir, yes, ever since 2000.
17:15When it went, let's say, 200 million to 2 billion.
17:19And even more than 2 billion.
17:21And number one in ratings.
17:23But sir, speaking of the impact that GMA Network has had,
17:27of course, on the Filipinos,
17:28one of the strong impact also of GMA is its responsibility
17:34when it comes to journalism.
17:35Oh, yes.
17:36How would you say GMA is maintaining its commitment to that,
17:39especially in this age of digital media with so much disinformation?
17:43Modesty aside again,
17:45we were the ones who formally adopted that as a company policy.
17:50And that is best expressed in our tagline.
17:54And you, being part of the news, know that by heart.
17:57And that is,
17:58Walang kinikilingan.
18:00Walang interes na pinaprotektahan.
18:03Walang kasinungalingan.
18:05Serbis yung totoo lamang.
18:07And we strictly enforce that.
18:10And you know that.
18:12By heart, sir.
18:14Do you think that even in this day and age,
18:16that GMA Network still has a very important role to play in society?
18:20Oh, yes.
18:21Media has always,
18:22that's why it's called the fourth or the fifth estate.
18:26It shapes public opinion.
18:28I mean, by reporting the facts,
18:31the public forms its opinion on that.
18:35Which is why, sir, the standards should be set very high.
18:38That's why it has to be truthful, factual.
18:40Does it relax you to watch TV?
18:43Or do you just think of work when you're watching TV?
18:45No, I love watching TV.
18:47Sir, para ba namin malaman kung anong favorite TV show niyo sa GMA?
18:51Maria Clara at Ibarra, pinanawan ko yan.
18:53Family Feud.
18:54Ay, pareho tayo, sir.
18:56Aside from the news, of course, sir.
18:57Tsaka 24 oras.
18:58Yes, sir.
18:59Tsaka saksi.
19:02Sir, sumasagot mo kayo sa Family Feud?
19:04Pag nanonood kayo, sinasagot niyo?
19:06Hindi ako nalalalo dun eh.
19:08Wow!
19:09Sinasali nga ako ni Annette, ayoko lang.
19:11Baka sabihin ng mga tao, fixed deal.
19:13Paano?
19:14Pag sinagot ko, pinipasok eh.
19:16Eh, satanda ko naman to sa experience na lang.
19:18Tsaka lumaki naman ako sa kalye, Pia eh.
19:20Kaya alam ko, eh, tinatanong ang mga tao diyan eh.
19:23Yes, sir.
19:24You have your ears on the ground there.
19:26What will viewers expect from GMA Network on its 75th year?
19:30There is something that's happening now.
19:33And it's a gradual shifting of watching content from traditional TV
19:40to the new modern gadgets like smartphones, laptops, etc.
19:46Mabuti na lang in the Philippines.
19:48It's happening very gradually.
19:51But I think the traditional TV will be there to stay.
19:55Just like the radio.
19:57But we have to be there at the front lines
20:02when the shifting becomes very substantial.
20:07And we are attending to that.
20:09That's all I am going to say.
20:10Exciting.
20:11That means, sir, it sounds like you have something up your sleeve.
20:14Oh, yeah.
20:15Many things up our sleeve.
20:17Sir, napag-usapan po natin kanina,
20:19the influence that your parents had on you,
20:21your father and your mother.
20:23Growing up po, did you grow up in a very close-knit family?
20:27Tipong araw-araw po kayo magkasabay kumain.
20:30Talagang lahat sinasabi niyo po sa inyong mga magulay.
20:32Hindi ko pwedeng sabihin na araw-araw magkasama kami kumain
20:36dahil my father was very busy in his government job.
20:41Ang mother ko naman, who engaged in business,
20:44eh busy rin.
20:46But we see them most of the time.
20:48But not every day.
20:49Every weekend, yes.
20:51Magkasama po.
20:52Sir, tama po ba apat kayong magkapatid?
20:55Apat.
20:56I am the third.
20:57The third.
20:58How would you describe yung dynamics po ninyo sa family
21:01kayong magkakapatid?
21:02Kasi kanina sabi niyo...
21:03Just like everybody else.
21:05Nagkakagalit kami.
21:07Nagbabati.
21:08But we were and are very close.
21:10Kayo po ba yung pinaka makulit po noon?
21:13Ako ang black sheep of the family.
21:15Talaga po sir?
21:16Yes.
21:17Ababait na mga kapatid ko.
21:19As compared to me.
21:20Sabi niyo po, naging scholarly kayo later on.
21:24So sila po, ganun din po.
21:26Okay, modesty aside, ako ang pinaka-intelligent sa katila lahat.
21:30Based on my grades.
21:33Ah, wow.
21:34Not necessarily intelligent in the outside light.
21:37So alam na nila yun?
21:38Kasi kita naman dyan sa report card, sir.
21:40Alam nila yun.
21:41Pag ganun po ba, sir, kapag mataas ang grades nyo,
21:43may premium po ba kayo galing sa magulang ninyo?
21:46Well, ang pinaka-premium ko,
21:48when I started to study in the College of Law,
21:51one half lang ng tuition ang bayad ng college scholar.
21:54So my parents gave the one half to me.
21:57Pang allowance nyo, sir?
21:58No, binibigyan pa.
22:00In addition, as a reward.
22:01Ah, wow.
22:03Sabi nyo, your father, kaya niyang makuha kayo sa isang tingin.
22:06How about yung relationship nyo po with your mother?
22:08Sabi nyo po she was a businesswoman.
22:09My mother, okay.
22:10Because she felt that she lost me four times.
22:16Eh, ang nanay ko, pirming gusto nakikita ko eh.
22:18You are a mother.
22:20Yes.
22:21Pag na-experience mo yun,
22:22parang nawalang anak na nabiglang nandun.
22:25So parang we were very close.
22:27Tsaka nakita niya nung naliligo ako sa dugo,
22:30nung pailalim ako sa salamba,
22:32when I hit my head in the barnacle.
22:34Sir, di ba dun po nanggaling yung palayo nyo ni Henry?
22:36Yes.
22:37Dahil kailangan akong kalbohin,
22:39parang mag-stick yung plaster.
22:42And at that time,
22:43a favorite comic character was Henry.
22:46Na kalbo din, sir.
22:47Oo, kalbo.
22:48So my brother started calling me Henry,
22:51and it stuck.
22:52Sir, nabanggit nyo na sa Malabon po kayo lumakit,
22:55tapos tumatalon kayo sa Malabon River.
22:57Mahilig po talaga kayo mag-swimming noon?
22:59Wala ka namang gagawin do,
23:00kung di mag-swim.
23:02Alam mo, nung araw,
23:03simple lang ang buhay.
23:04Lagi kayo nasa labas,
23:05kapitbahay mga kalaro niyo, sir?
23:06Oo yan, alikot-likot ko nga.
23:08Sino mga kalaro nyo noon, sir?
23:09E di yung mga kapitbahay,
23:11yung mga pinsan,
23:12tapos yung mga kay-eskwela ko
23:13sa Malabon Elementary School.
23:15So di ba, sir, sabi nyo
23:16your mother was a businesswoman?
23:18Yes.
23:19Ang negosyo po niya sa patis,
23:20tama po ba, sir?
23:22Maraming ginawa ang nanay ko.
23:24Sabon.
23:25As in?
23:26Pharmacist ang nanay ko eh.
23:27You know, she had to do that, Pia,
23:30because the salary of my father,
23:33being a government official,
23:34was not enough.
23:35We could not have gone to college
23:37if we will rely only on the salary.
23:39So my mother had to earn
23:41and engage in business.
23:43Would you say na your business acumen
23:45you got from your mother,
23:46tapos yung legal expertise nyo
23:48na kumalis sa mga…
23:49I don't know if I have a business
23:50acumen.
23:52But all I know is,
23:53well, my grandmother was a businesswoman.
23:56Oo.
23:57And my grandfather was the one
23:58investing the money.
23:59And my grandmother was the one
24:01earning the money.
24:02And they were very rich.
24:04Nakuha ng nanay ko siguro
24:05sa nanay niya.
24:06Tumutulong po ba kayo, sir,
24:07nung bata kayo sa negosyo po?
24:09Well, we were forced
24:10to get involved in the business.
24:12For example, doon sa patis,
24:14we had to wash the bottles.
24:16Ah, kayo tayong…
24:17And put the leit.
24:18Yeah.
24:19We were asked to be involved.
24:22May mga assignment.
24:23Pag ganun, sir,
24:25nagre-reklamo po ba kayo?
24:27Hindi ka pwedeng magreklamo eh.
24:29No choice talaga.
24:30You don't know my mother.
24:33Very strict po.
24:35Useless to complain.
24:37Would you say your mother
24:38was more the disciplinarian
24:39than your father was?
24:40Yes, yes.
24:41Alright.
24:42Ang father ko,
24:43indirect kung magdiscipline.
24:44Like what I said,
24:45hindi ako kinausap.
24:47Titignan ka lang, sir.
24:48Nagiging effective.
24:49Nanay ko, hindi effective.
24:50Sir, ano po yung mga nakuha nyo
24:52from your parents,
24:53na parenting style,
24:54na ginagamit nyo ngayon
24:56sa sarili mo?
24:57Well, okay.
24:58Honesty,
24:59sincerity,
25:00fairness,
25:01and hard work.
25:02Both of them were hardworking.
25:03And sir, yung pagiging
25:04close ng pamilya,
25:06you carry that onto
25:07your own family?
25:08Close kami eh.
25:09Kasi maliit lang yung bahay namin ito.
25:12Hindi kamukha nito ngayon.
25:13So talaga, sir,
25:15magkakatabi kayo
25:16pag natutulog?
25:17Unang una,
25:18maliit lang yung bahay namin
25:19sa Malabon.
25:20Sir, I remember
25:22nagkukwenta po si Ma'am Annette
25:23when we interviewed her,
25:24na you carried it on nga po
25:26sa inyong sariling pamilya,
25:27na you'd like that
25:28everybody has dinner
25:29together every day.
25:31Well, if possible.
25:33Nakakatipid ka dun eh.
25:36It's a chance to catch up?
25:37Parang alam nyo kung
25:38anong nangyari sa buhay.
25:39If you talk with each other,
25:40sometimes,
25:41hindi naman kayo nagsasalita,
25:42nagtitingin lang.
25:44Tsaka ngayon may TV.
25:45Atsaka yung mga
25:46grandchildren ko,
25:48sa mga gadget nila,
25:49yan ang pinapanood.
25:51Unless I talk to them,
25:52they don't talk to me.
25:54Eh pero sir,
25:55when your children were still young,
25:57were you a strict parent po ba?
25:59Ay, lako.
26:00Very, very close.
26:01Very close?
26:02They sleep in our bedroom.
26:03Ah, okay.
26:04Very, very close.
26:06That is my wife's.
26:08Gusto niya yung ganun eh.
26:09Ang wife ko,
26:10hatid sundu yan.
26:11At pagdating nan lahat,
26:12binibigyan pa ng hot food.
26:14Nakatutok yan.
26:1624x7.
26:18Napapagalit nga anak ko?
26:19Lahat.
26:20Na-discipline ako yan eh.
26:22Kayo pong mas stricto
26:23kesa kay Mrs. Gozon?
26:24Ako ang disiplinar yan.
26:25Si Mrs. Gozon hindi eh.
26:27Puro kuha niyan.
26:28Okay.
26:29Itong anak kong lalaki,
26:31does not want to drink medicine.
26:33We were in Disneyland,
26:34sa Anaheim.
26:36E nilagnat.
26:37Ayaw uminom ng medicine.
26:39So, inbis na puwersahin
26:40ng my wife to drink,
26:42inakap na lang.
26:43Mabuti na lang gumaling.
26:45Wow!
26:47Very different nga yung approach, Sir.
26:49Oo, sa kanya.
26:50Ako hindi.
26:51Puwersahin ko yan.
26:52Sir, speaking of Disneyland,
26:54may isang interview
26:55si Ma'am Annette before
26:56na sabi niya,
26:57pagdating sa mga roller coaster,
26:58kayo daw po ang partner niya.
27:00Hindi po kayo natatakot?
27:02Kayo yung adventurous?
27:03Noong araw, hindi.
27:04Tsaka yung mga Witch Mountain
27:05na madilim.
27:07Parang yung bituka mo,
27:08akit eh.
27:09Sinasamahan ko sila doon.
27:11Sabi niyo po,
27:12your father,
27:13parang they were strict
27:14about your grades later on.
27:16Ganun din po kayo sa kids nyo,
27:18very particular about academics.
27:20Ang aking way of disciplining them
27:23was just to monitor.
27:25And I told them that
27:26I know you can hack it.
27:29Matatalino eh.
27:31May pinagmanahan, Sir.
27:32Mana sa missis.
27:35So Sir, what are some of the
27:36biggest joys you have
27:37as a parent
27:38and as a grandfather?
27:39Well, to see
27:40my children succeeding.
27:42Balidiktoryan lahat yan.
27:44Si Marites Magna Cum Laude,
27:47BS Psychology sa UP.
27:49And among the top of her school
27:50in medicine,
27:51sa UP rin.
27:53And Annette and Phillip
27:55both have Masters of Law degree
27:57from Harvard.
27:59And I am very proud
28:00of those accomplishments.
28:02And now, you see those
28:03same kinds of accomplishments
28:04with your grandchildren.
28:06Yes.
28:07So, are you also strict
28:08as a grandfather?
28:09No.
28:11Pagdating sa grandchildren,
28:13I am the opposite
28:14of being strict.
28:16Eh, ang responsibility
28:17wala na sa akin eh.
28:19Nasa magulang.
28:20Eh, paano kung
28:21pagdinisipling ko,
28:22hindi akong batiin.
28:24So, kung ano yung hingin
28:25ng apon nyo, Sir,
28:26ibibigay po nyo?
28:27Hindi naman lahat.
28:28Alam mo kung mali na eh.
28:29Pero, almost always.
28:31Eh, hindi na akong
28:32responsible sa kanila eh.
28:34So, I can afford
28:35to spoil them.
28:37Bahala na yung mga parents nila
28:38to discipline them.
28:40Now that you've seen also
28:42how your grandchildren
28:43are growing up,
28:44do you ask them
28:45or guide them
28:46in a particular direction
28:47when it comes to, let's say,
28:48studies or career?
28:49Well, for my children,
28:50I don't teach my children
28:51formally what to do.
28:53I don't even interfere
28:55on their life-life
28:57or their careers.
28:58Never, Sir?
28:59No, no.
29:00Never?
29:01Not once, Sir?
29:02No, but very indirect.
29:03I don't tell them what to do.
29:04You just let them parang
29:05arrive at the decision
29:06on their own,
29:07with guidance.
29:08Well, for example,
29:09I allow them to choose
29:10their own profession,
29:12whatever they want.
29:13Because I believe
29:14that if you like
29:15what you do, Pia,
29:17it's not work.
29:19You enjoy doing it.
29:21And you will stay
29:22for a very long time.
29:23And you do it well.
29:24Yes.
29:25Obviously, you enjoy
29:26what you're doing.
29:27Yes.
29:28It doesn't feel like work
29:29at all, di ba, Sir?
29:30Sometimes, nahihirapan din ako,
29:31but I love doing it.
29:32You want to know
29:33my schedule?
29:34Yes, Sir.
29:35I'm working at 4 o'clock.
29:364 a.m., Sir?
29:37You try it.
29:38Your mind is very clear
29:40at that time of the day.
29:41So by 5.30 to 6,
29:44I have my breakfast.
29:45After that,
29:46I go back to work,
29:47read newspapers.
29:49Then I sleep
29:50for about an hour.
29:51Then I exercise.
29:53If there's more work to do,
29:54then I work.
29:55But even if there's work,
29:56I exercise.
29:57Do you think about
29:58what kind of legacy
29:59you'd like to leave behind?
30:01In general,
30:03it's very simple.
30:06I'd just like to be remembered
30:07as a good man
30:09and having done
30:10a good job.
30:11Period.
30:14As simple as that, Sir.
30:15Yes.
30:16When you look back
30:17on your career,
30:19everything that you have accomplished,
30:21what would you say
30:22to your younger self?
30:23I mean, is there something
30:24that you would tell
30:25the young Henry
30:26na parang,
30:27oh, you're going to go far places,
30:28you're going to accomplish this,
30:29you're going to accomplish that,
30:31or is there anything?
30:32You know, Pia,
30:33in life,
30:34you set a goal.
30:35And when you achieve
30:36the goal,
30:37you cannot imagine
30:38how you feel.
30:39I mean,
30:40that is the best reward
30:41of them all.
30:42It's not money,
30:43it's not compensation,
30:44it's achieving
30:45what you set out to do.
30:47And we have done that.
30:49What is like
30:50one piece of advice
30:51that you would like to give
30:53to young people
30:54who look up to you
30:55and want to accomplish
30:56the same things
30:57that you have accomplished?
30:58Well, very simple.
30:59Just do what I did.
31:01Set your goal,
31:02work very hard
31:03in achieving that focus,
31:05be honest
31:06and have integrity,
31:07and treat everyone fairly.
31:10Thank you so much, sir.
31:12Thank you very much.
31:14Thanks for listening,
31:15and we hope you enjoyed this episode
31:16as much as we all did.
31:17Don't forget to like,
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31:33♪