Jun Veleganio: His moment to shine

Bisdak reporter Jun Veleganio has been a friend for almost five years. Together, we had been to a lot of action-packed coverage when I was still in the defense beat - from vigilante killing, drug raids, hostage drama, to bank robberies. If not sharing stories, we would joked around during a seemingly uneventful day, that would prompt us to embark on a "fishing expedition," a term to refer to our way of coming up stories by hanging out with news sources. I'm telling you all these to illustrate the kind of friendship I have with Jun V.

Like ABS-CBN's Junrey Nadela, Jun V. was one of the few people who showed me the ropes at the defense beat, a turf dominated by men, that a gay like me would be considered an oddity. And so I thought I knew everything about Jun V. only to realize later that I still have a lot to learn about this very humble person, who never forgot where he came from.

His life story is one for the books - an inspiring tale of an islander whose only dream was to have a good life. The 11th child in a brood of 14, Jun V.'s father was a fisherman, while his mother was a housewife. Life in Bantayan, where he was born and raised, was definitely no smooth ride. At 15, he was forced to leave his hometown and worked at the Carbon market. For seven years, despite subsisting on a very meager income, he still managed to send part of it to his family. But work finally took a toll on his health, forcing him to return to Bantayan Island. Back at home, he decided to go back to school.

"Nahunahuna nako nga kon mag-standby rako didto walay mahitabo nako mahimo rasad ko nga mananagat. Mao to nga nibalik ko og eskuyla bisag dako nakog edad," he recalled. At 19, he was elected barangay councilman in Baigan and when he turned 22, he went back to high school as a sophomore. Upon graduation, he took the risk of coming back to Cebu to pursue a college degree. He did not even have P80 for the boat fare, but the crew pitied him that he was granted a free ride.

He enrolled in B.S. in Mathematics at the then Cebu State College (now Cebu Normal University). He admitted that the first two years in college were the hardest. It was during these times when he just memorized his meals for the lack of money to buy food. Sometimes his father would send him dried fish that he would share with his boardmates who had given him something to eat. His landlady would not ask for payment for the rent as long as he did cleaning chores like scrubbing and mapping the floor. "Mutuo kag sa dili yot (our endearment) usahay kanang gutom na kaayo akong huwaton nga makatulog ang akong mga boardmates unya manungkab kog bahaw para masudlan sad tawon akong nagkutoy nga tiyan," he recalled, a bit teary eyed.

You might wonder how this math major got into the broadcasting world. That was all because his course, then under the College of Arts and Sciences, had radio internship as a requirement. So he did it at the then popular radio station dyRC. He was only supposed to tag along to a senior reporter, but on his second day he was hired because the station's management liked his modulated voice and delivery style. He was no stranger to radio reporting actually because he was already doing the rounds as disco announcer in Bantayan in his school years. Because of this new job, his financial worries were slowly becoming easy to bear.

Since Jun V. was a night shift reporter, he could not help but doze off during his day classes, but his teachers were considerate enough not to wake him up. Jun V. stayed with dyRC from 1995 until 1999 when the station closed down. It was around this time the Kapuso network opened its doors to him as pioneering reporter for "Balitang Bisdak."

At 37, Jun V. is happy to have come this far. "Mapasalamaton ko sa akong naabtan karon," he declared. His only hope now is for his two children to finish their education so that they would not go through the hardships he personally experienced. There is only one thing he wishes to accomplish for himself and that is to get to write a newspaper column someday. But he is humble enough to admit that his English is not that good yet, and that he's trying his best to improve it.

Indeed, blessed are those who never forget their humble beginnings because graces would never stop coming. Jun V.'s good breaks started peaking early last year when the newly energized "Balitang Bisdak" was relaunched. This time, he was trusted enough to feed live updates before the camera. He pinched hit for multi-awarded tri-media personality Bobby Nalzaro as anchor of the newscast, when the latter went on vacation early part of this year. Call it a blessing, but the rating during his stint went up close to 30%. Jun V. could not ask for more.

His biggest break ever, however, has unfolded via a report he did for GMA-7's award-winning documentary program "Reporter's Notebook" last Tuesday. It was about vigilantism in the city, a topic he was very knowledgeable of. Actually, I envy this good friend of mine for such remarkable experience of his and for making history as the first among the Kapuso's roster of regional reporters to gain score nationwide exposure. At the same time, I'm happy for him because this hardworking reporter deserves such a break.

Even if some said his Tagalog sounded very hard and "Bisaya," the program manager told him he did well. He admitted though that he needed to work on his delivery because he talks too fast. "Giingnan ko nga huwag masyadong malakas at mabilis magsalita. Tungod man gud na sa akong pagka radioman sauna nga magdali kog sulti kay mahadlok ko nga ma dead air. Karon maniguro na ko nga pareha na sa taga Manila ang delivery, nga mura ra kag nag-istorya."

Now who says poverty is a hindrance to success? Take it from Jun Veleganio - and you'll surely have an inspiring story to tell when the right time comes.

* * *

Don't fail to watch my good friend Jude Bacalso's play "Welcome to IntelStar" at CAP Center along Osmeña Boulevard at 7pm tonight. He plays the lead in this timely act that tackles the lives of call center agents. If not proceed to the Mandaue Sports Complex and get the chance to watch the coronation night of the next Miss Mandaue City. React@ [email protected]