Why we spend mornings with ANC

But please Maria Ressa, tell us it’s not true

by Old Spice

Some viewers might wonder how the producers and hosts are able to squeeze so much news, opinion and infotainment in two and a half hours. I wonder too, but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying Mornings at ANC.

First of all, the show starts with giggling, and then an enumeration of the headlines and then more giggling, then laughter, then more giggling. That’s the A-Team for us: Ricky Carandang, Marieton Pacheco, TJ Manotoc, and Gretchen Fullido, the giggliest and youngest of the four. We enjoy watching other people enjoy doing what they do best: telling us the sorry state of our nation’s affairs with a giggle. And believe me, the giggling is contagious and our neighbors have been wondering if we’re crazy like Miriam Santiago.

Secondly, the hosts of the show have a magic chemistry. They switch from one to the other to different subjects and giggle. Somehow viewers can’t help imagining the imaginable. Who of the four are ____? Who’s playing footsie with whom? Hey that’s none of our business.

What’s been bothering me are the sudden shifts in balance of the hosts on their chairs. The nasty rumor is that there are two metal plates on each of the chairs and that there are two remote controllers to jolt the seated when they overdo the giggling. One is held by Maria Ressa and the other by Twink Macaraig. We await Ressa’s clarification on this. In any case the network is always transparent and ready to disclose that what makes Ricky’s hair stand on end is Meralco electricity.

(Our resident psychic and photographer Ai-ai Sy Yu complains that if Carandang doesn’t go slower with the makeup, she’d start calling him Rica Andang. Sorry Ricky but she’s too young and feminine and is the only one in our staff who’s not gender-sensitive).

The guests in yesterday’s show included Kiri Dalena and the bright Sunshine Matutina promoting another film festival (Kontra-Agos) to commemorate Human Rights month (December). As in previous festivals, many films were rated X allegedly because they tended to “undermine the faith of the people in government and duly constituted authority.” Ai-ai, reading Manotoc’s mind, told me he was asking “Do they need others to do that?”