I'm super excited for our guest today. She's letting us into her beautiful home, and I'm very honored because she
accommodated our talk show invitation. In celebration of Women's Month, I'm grateful to sit down with the
first woman who became president of the largest TV network
in the Philippines, ABS-CBN. She's also our favorite storyteller
in the longest drama anthology, MMK. She's someone who inspires me, and a woman I really look up to in the industry. The one and only
Ma'am Charo Santos-Concio. [upbeat music] Thank you, Toni!
I'm doing this for you. - My goddaughter!
[laughs] - She's quite clever.
- [laughs] She knows what buttons to press. - I also brought this book.
- Yeah. I have to say, Ma'am Charo: "Reading your book is like watching a movie," - because of how you wrote your story.
- Yeah. And you said in this book: - Your greatest asset really is storytelling.
- Yes. Where did you get that gift for storytelling? Since I was young... I like to listen to dramas on radio, you know. And I think my father also was a storyteller, so he would gather all six of us,
and he love to watch movies, so he would gather us after dinner, and would tell us the story of the
movie that he had just seen. So having grown up in a simple environment, having grown up in the province, when I listen to different stories, it transported me to different worlds; it broadened my horizon,
it opened up the world to me. - But your dad was a surgeon?
- Yeah. - And then your mom is a teacher?
- Teacher. But she also loved to sing. "They're into showbiz." At one point, when my dad was still young, he worked as a ticket-seller in Bulacan. So he got exposed to the world of cinema. He loved to buy showbiz magazines. - Oh my Lord! And he likes...
- [laughs] His favorite actress was Ms. Helen Gamboa. - ahh...
- Oh my! My dad liked Ms. Helen a lot. Sister Helen, really. And then my mother ventured into singing. So she also enjoyed
the world of entertainment. But she didn't pursued it, Ma'am Charo? She didn't pursued it because
my father was very conservative, and he thought that the place of a
woman is "only" at home. So I guess the frustrations of my mom
were projected unto her children. So in a way,
"You are living your mom's dream." - I think so. I think so. Yeah.
- In a way. She was a very very passionate woman. When she expresses her emotions,
you will really feel it. She savors it all. Yes, she savors it all. And I think that was what I brought
with me to my work, to my creativity. She's the one who pushed you
to join those beauty pageants. - Yes.
- Because I've read it here... - Miss Calapan, Manila's Five Prettiest,
- [laughs] - Miss Green Race 1974.
- Yes, my God! Truly, all the dreams of my mom. Everyone knows each other
in the province, right? They would always approach
my mom and my dad, and ask: "Hey, can you allow your daughters
to participate." So I'm one of her favorites to join. Yes, Miss Calapan. That's the town fiesta
in Calapan City in Mindoro. And Miss Southern Tagalog
Athletic Association, which became Sports Fest
of Southern Tagalog. I won that. And the Green Race is the
Green Revolution Program of... the former first lady, Imelda Marcos. - And then...
- The Baron Travel Girl. And then the Baron Travel Girl, yes. So when you were growing up, did you ever think you will be a beauty queen? Did you think: "This is my path.
I am a beauty queen." No. I was never conscious of my view? I mean, it was never about
my beauty and my self; it was more like I was being
an obedient daughter. mmm... After you join the Baron Travel Girl, - you were able to travel the world.
- Yes. - You went to different countries.
- Yes. But there was one incident in Zurich... - where you were having lunch.
- [laughs] - This happens to a lot of women.
- Young women. (young women) You were having lunch, and then... two guys showed up, right? Yes. My chaperone had to go back to Manila. "I don't really want to miss this." This opportunity comes once in a lifetime; I'm here and I might as well
just brave it through. So I said: "Okay, I'll be staying." Two days and two nights, I stayed in my room. I was so scared, so everything's room service. Then I said:
"Why is my life like this?" "I decided to stay and then
I confine myself in this room?" On the third day, I said:
"No, I'm gonna go down." Look, I've made safe choices, right? I'm not going out of the hotel; I'm gonna go to the restaurant
inside the hotel. Right? - You're still inside the premises.
- I'm still inside. I was twenty years old.
(twenty or twenty-one) So I went inside the restaurant,
took a table, and I ate. So there were two French guys that kept
looking at me, probably wondering: "Who is this young lady having lunch by herself?" Maybe that's their own conclusion about me. But I was not minding them. And then after lunch, I decided to go
down to the magazine stand. - There were magazine stands.
- Gift shops. Yes, those gift shops. Now, they followed me, and one said: - "Hi...!"
- [laughs] "Hi! Would like to invite you for
a weekend trip to Paris." I bought Time Magazine at the time.
I was holding the magazine. [gasp] - I was really shaking.
- [laughs] I didn't realized I was already
like folding the magazine. And then I said: "Ah, I'm sorry but my husband is waiting for me." [laughs] (that's it) Survival, right? Your instincts will come out. - And you listen to your values.
- Your values. Something like "Huh...?" "...That's it? I don't even know you." All the advice of your father and
your mother will flash to you. This is the real world. - So your first experience as a woman.
- And I am being put to a test, right? How do I handle these things? You know, the two guys just laughed at me. They got so amused because... - They probably thought...
- They thought... "Oh my, this girl is very naive." Tried to fool us... - So now they know.
- Now they know. They laughed it off. They got amused. But after that incident,
what did you discover about yourself? Ah, that I can be a strong independent woman. That I can stand on my own. It gave me the confidence. I think that was the start... "I'm okay. I'm okay." - You can take care of yourself.
- Yeah. - You'll not be swayed by offers.
- I have confidence to... ...look you in the eye and say, "No." - "I'm sorry. No thanks."
- I'm not that kind of woman. [laughs] In fact, from Zurich... I went to the States. So visited some cities in the States. In the States... it's easier because you have
many relatives and friends. On my way home, I went back to Europe. Then one day, I was walking in
Champs-Élysées in Paris, and then a guy approached me,
"I'd like to invite you for coffee." - "No, thank you."
- My answer's different! - Different confidence.
- Different! - You're the second to offer. Sorry.
- [laughs] I've turned down the first. And you know, when I came back home; and then I was telling my dad, my mom,
my siblings, and the other relatives. When someone returns home,
every relative is present. You know, the look of pride in my
father's eyes is unforgettable. It's like "Ah, okay. I can let you go." After the Baron Travel Girl, you got a call... - from the great Lino Brocka.
- Yeah. - After he saw you.
- At Baron Travel Girl Pageant. He said: "You dont know me. I'm Lino Brocka." "I have a friend, you know, Mike de Leon." "He's the cinematographer in my last movie." My thesis paper then was
Manila in the Claws of Light, cause I took up a film class in La Salle. (I cross enrolled in La Salle) And who didn't know Lino Brocka, right? So again my father wouldn't let me.
"He didn't liked it." But he gave conditions for you. No kissing scene plus one movie only. And I said, "Yes." I was obedient to him. Right after my movie, he passed away. You whispered something
to his ear and you said, - "You will break that promise."
- Yeah. I told him: "I'm sorry dad but, you know..." "...life has to go on for all of us." and... "This is the world I'm in.
This is the world I know." "This is where the opportunities
are coming from now." "But don't you worry,
I'll take care of your name." [piano sounds] Then 2 months after your
father passed away, - you won the Best Actress at Asian Film Festival.
- Yes. Like that was a clear sign from God na this is the path that
you're supposed to take. I think so. Yes. But before winning the best actress
...for Itim [Black], Actually, I was offered...
by Mister Tony Tuviera to be the first female co-host of
Tito, Vic, and Joey in Eat Bulaga! - Ah, really?
- Yes. I made a choice: Will it be the hosting path via
television or will it be the acting path? And I took the Best Actress Award as being the sign from heaven that I should... you know, I should choose acting over hosting. How did you get to the
behind-the-scene production? What I finished in college
I want to put it to good use. You know, I understand production; I have an appreciation of production,
of the production process. I said: "I just don't want to act.
I also want to produce." - You were part of Miracle and Oro, Plata, Mata?
- Yeah. (classic films) - You were part of the production.
- Yes. And you said a quote here
that I will not forget, you said: - "The sensitive ones will lose."
- [laughs] Yes. You cannot take things personally. You can't be too sensitive. You just can't focus on the problems, and you can't keep whining and say
"It's too hard..." And... "Why did I ever get into this?" etc... If you want to be respected for... being responsible and
for the person that you are, - you have to see through what you start.
- mmm... You don't start when things are fine... but when things get messy, "You give up." Was there are point in your life
when you felt like... - you wanted to give up on this career?
- Ah, many times! [laughs] You mentioned it... - when you became the president of ABS-CBN.
- Many many many many times. When I was working for
ABS-CBN full-time, oh my God, because the deadlines are horrible, right? I mean, television is another
animal altogether. "The show must go on," is really... the one statement that drives
everyone who works in television. There was one statement, Ma'am Charo,
mentioned by FMG, when you walked into the room,
and FMG said: - "What is she doing here?!"
- Ah, yes. "What is she doing here?!" - Yeah. Because...
- But you didn't give up. They all think of me as a "movie star," right? "She's an actress." "Yes, she has done films." But in film industry,
it's not that hectic because... ...you can always postpone a play date. You can always move a play date, right? TV is different. - When you sign on, you're "on."
- Every day. - Until you sign off.
- mmm... When FMG said those words to you... - how did you take it?
- I didn't take it personally. Maybe because I've really decided... - "I know in my heart I'm good."
[laughs] - Like that.
- Like that. I know in my heart I'm good.
I should not be discouraged. And I will show you. Instead of taking those statements
as personal insults, I take them really as a challenge... to my ability as a person... to grow up and to level up. But at one point, in 2005,
you shared it in this book... And not a lot of people know about this, and I was actually so shocked
that you shared this story, - that you were diagnosed with depression.
- Yeah. You know, the most challenging parts... in my years of working for ABS-CBN... were two instances: First, when we were number 5 out of 5. - [laughs]
- ahh... And we had to grow the business,
"That was tough." No resources, few personnel... It was hard but exciting, right?
You're raring to go. The more painful instance was when
we lost our leadership in Mega Manila: From being number 1 for seventeen years,
we dropped to number 2 in Mega Manila. And I really took it to heart.
It was like... dropping to number 2
was a rejection of my person. - Somehow...
- It became personal? I related it to myself in a way... "What am I here for? I'm a failure." [piano sounds] It really dragged me down
and I wanted to quit. I thought it was not the right place for
me anymore to continue working. You took a talk therapy... - for 4 months to rediscover who you are,
- Yes. what you're made of, and foundation. So "Face all your demons," right?
"Face all your shadows." I was really disoriented. And there were lots of opinions. Others will say this.
Others will say that. Until before you know it you're lost. "You're lost." So I had to find myself again. It was also the most liberating... chapter of my life when I looked
myself in front of the mirror and accepted the person that I am.
(warts and all) When you're not being defensive
anymore about anything, you know your strengths,
you appreciate your strengths, but you also have the humility
to accept your weaknesses. Even at my age, Tony, even with retirement, I continue to make mistakes,
but I continue to grow; I continue to get to know myself better. You came back after that talk therapy... you said in the book: "You're whole again." Because you were able to find yourself. And then when you came back... slowly but surely,
"Everything was falling into place." - ABS-CBN bounced back.
- Yeah. - It went number one again.
- mmm... It's really listening to your instincts. Listening to your intuition. Follow your gut. Listen to your heart. Sometimes you get lost and
you really have to strive to find your way back home. [piano sounds] There's nothing like
being your authentic self. So it's not about seeking perfection,
it is about being true to oneself. And if you're true to oneself, you hope to be able to influence
others also positively. That experience also taught me
not to be scared to be vulnerable. You know, that sometimes we just have... ...to feel what we have to feel. That we don't have to be defensive;
we dont have to put up a face, and say "I'm okay" when... you're not. I learned to honor my feelings. You know, so if I'm angry... "I honor that." If I'm upset, "I honor that." If I'm hurting, "I honor that." (but I don't stay) I don't stay in those feelings;
they're all very negative. We can't be always at our best, we can't be always on cue like... "Oh, there's the camera." "Smile!!!" Outside... away from the cameras...
away from the limelight... "We're real people." "We are real people." - You honor...
- Honor the feelings. - All feelings are valid.
- Yes. Correct. But you don't stay there.
You have to know... "What triggers me to be angry?" You'll realize: "Wait, that's really it?" [laughs] But sometimes: - "Ouch! I'm really hurting."
- mmm... "I want my day in court."
"I want to be able to say my peace." And you have fulfilled so many of our dreams because of the decisions that
you made for the network. What was that feeling like... when you have that power to
fulfill someone's dream? There are so many elements that leadership takes into consideration
when we make decisions. I mean, at the end of the day, there are metrics that we have to follow. So there's nothing personal. (there's nothing personal) From my end, I think I pushed
people to do their best. I mean, I would always talk to them
about the value of excellence. You want to stand out in the crowd? Be excellent. Be unique. Be excellent. Be different. "What are you offering your audience?" "Why will I love you?" - mmm...
- "How do you engage me?" "What kind of relationship
are you building up with me?" We open the doors: At the end of the day,
what do you bring to the table? What kind of work do you bring to the table? That's a good reflection for all our viewers. What do you bring to the table? - Pancit?
- [laughs] Do you take your strengths for granted? You say, "I am good." — No! You keep working and working and
working doubly hard to make sure that you're the excellent person
in that one performance that you're gonna show me now! [intense sound] - Oh, it came out.
- Ma'am Charo doesn't like that. When you fail to lip sync on ASAP. [laughs] That's unforgettable, Ma'am Charo. When you lip sync on ASAP, the only thing you'll do is
be in sync with your voice. Ma'am Charo will be angry
if you failed to lip sync. That's right. When there's a live show,
I make sure to send a text. Or call on the landline...
(pre-cellphone era) - Direct feedback.
- Yes. Even in Araneta Coliseum,
when there's a concert. I have a feedback already in the opening... You have a feedback. We feel that, Ma'am Charo. The business unit head said:
"Ma'am Charo's watching." Now we know. I think others don't say it's a feedback...
Saying my name will do. They name-drop you
so all of us will froze in fear. Before live show: - "Oh, Ma'am Charo's watching."
- And even before... in our office's props area,
when there's a live show, I note. I send a note during the live show. I ask them: "Did this talent rehearse?" "Ah, ma'am sorry there's a slight problem;
she came 2 hours before the show." "mmm..." "Then you should have asked her
not to join the production number." [intense sound] - [laughs]
- There it is. When you hear that, "You're dead." You owe your audience the best performance. You need this mindset, Toni... This could be the last performance of my life. So you always have to give your best. You can't wing it. As a leader, Ma'am Charo... What was the most rewarding experience? Most rewarding? When I see you all...
[laughs] fulfilled; and when I see you evolving into,
you know, mature performers. Performers who respect their audience. I'm very delighted
when I see your achievements. I mean, people on-cam and
people behind the scenes. But there's one story here where you said: She is the strong motivating force
in your life, your mom. My mom. And then before she passed away,
she said this statement to you... and it was very short but it was
very meaningful, she said: Yeah. We had just celebrated her 70th birthday... and she called me up to thank me. [piano sounds] She was very very very happy. (even her tone of voice) And she was very very happy;
very very grateful. To this day, my desk upstairs...
are full of her cards. Her notes, short notes to me: Thanking me for everything. Expressing her pride and her love for me. Yeah. I miss her terribly, but I know... - she's watching over us.
- She's watching. - You're now living a new chapter.
- Yes. What is it that you enjoy most
doing right now? You know what? I'm taking up piano lessons. [laughs] I'm drawn into psychology
and Carl Jung stuff; you know, depth psychology. Does your next chapter involve
offers like joining politics? Ah, yeah! There are... There are offers. Do you see yourself, Ma'am Charo? No. I have not considered. I've never considered the world of politics. With everything that you have been
through, accomplished in life... If there was one thing that you think
you did right, what's it? Oh, that I raised my boys well; you know, that I have a solid family. I'm proud of that. Yeah. After writing this book... and looking back at everything
that you have been through in life and all the experiences... What would you call your journey? mmm... Beautiful. Colorful. It made me find my soul, my being;
appreciate my being. It's a very internal journey for me. I was changed on the inside. - Transformative Journey.
- Yeah. (yeah) Yeah, very. Very liberating in fact. I think we all want to achieve that, right? To have that kind of journey where in the end, - we will be able to find ourselves.
- Yeah. - The truest, most authentic, genuine self.
- Yeah. "Until our last breath."
