Goodbye Na Jud!

It was another laidback Sunday for me last July 8. I usually don’t take a day-off, but I always make it a point to wake up late every Sunday, especially this time of the year—the rainy season, so to speak—when it is so tempting to cling to your bed the whole day. So I woke up past 11a.m. then turned my TV set on. As the picture came into view I was surprised to see different faces hosting the ABS-CBN Sunday show “Jud Morning.” I immediately grabbed my cellphone and texted my good friend Jude Bacalso: “Mah (that’s how we call each other), what happened?”

Jude’s reply was “Pak!” and then asked if I had a landline. I don’t have one at home so I promised to send him an SMS when I get to the office later that day. It was a Sunday, and Jude was onboard from 4 to 8pm over Y101 so there was no time we could have a lengthy talk by the time I came in by 5pm. Eventually our conversation-cum-interview took place Tuesday at past 6pm over the phone. While dialing, I was already thinking about how the lead story should go. I was also already organizing my thoughts and my first questions would have been what happened and why did somebody else host his own show last Sunday. But after some pleasantries, Jude dropped the “bomb” by saying, “It’s my personal decision. I’m not doing it (Jud Morning) anymore. It has nothing to do with the ratings.” I was appalled and stunned for seconds that I remember now how I responded with mumbled words as I tried to let the news sink in. Boy, that was not what I expected! I had mixed emotions then.

As an enterprising writer, of course I was more than happy to have gotten that juicy tidbit. But Jude is a dear friend. We may seldom talk, or don’t see each other that often, but our communication lines have always been opened. We text or chat over Yahoo! Messenger just to catch up with each other. We share ideas sometimes, but most of the time, we gossip.

After I put down the phone, I was ecstatic, jubilant even. Why not when what I have learned from Jude was a scoop that would surely intrigue and interest the readers of Hugyaw, the entertainment section of Banat News, of which I am editor? However when the final layout of Hugyaw’s issue for the next day was brought to my deskthat was when it dawned on me that my Sunday mornings will never be the same again. Of course, I switch channels, because I can’t also turn my back on another good friend, Yuri of “Oi! Show Nato Ni,” who happens to write a Sunday column for Hugyaw. But “Jud Morning” has a special place in my heart. I’m mourning for its sudden demise.

Why so? It was because I was there when “Jud Morning” was launched at Ayala Mall two years ago. It was my TV debut. I was nervous, very nervous because that was my first ever TV guesting and it was live. It was energetic but at the same time nerve-racking, as you have to be on cue all the time. I’ve appeared in “Jud Morning” a total of four times already and I must say I have improved a lot as far a flirting with the camera is concerned. Thanks for the experience! It tested my confidence to the max! And when Jude said good-bye to “Jud Morning,” I got the exclusive story. Wow! What a partnership.

When Jude said it had nothing to do with the ratings game, I believe him. He explained everything to me and he never left any question of mine unanswered. I have seen the bigger picture as to what really prompted him to say bye-bye, and our phone conversation that lasted for about 20 minutes could very well be summarized in two words—disillusionment and disappointment. The issues however are already water under the bridge because the reason why our conversation was two days delayed was because Jude was being professional up to the last minute, first meeting up with Ms. Tata Sinco Sy, ABS-CBN-Cebu Station Manager, last Monday. They had a heart-to-heart talk, just the two of them. And when everything was fine, that was when Jude turned to me as a friend but at the same time, the center of news.

“I’m not burning bridges with ABS-CBN. I’m open to doing future projects with ABS-CBN. I’m not saying good-bye to ABS-CBN. I’m not transferring to another competing station,” Jude pointed out. “ I can go on record to say I wanted more control over content and guests, which was hard in a network show. So I may explore new avenues, but still with ABS-CBN or Studio 23 (Cebu).” Jude is directing his sights on co-producing a show.

The meeting with Ms. Sinco went well that according to Jude he was able to unload everything he has long kept in his mind and heart. There are no hard feelings, no bitterness, no pretensions. It was serious business, but the very talented Jude managed to quip as we talked, “dili baya ko drama queen,” that left me laughing for a while as I was listening to him on the other line. Indeed, it will be the quips, adlibs and punchlines that punctuate Jude’s spiels that I will miss on TV, apart from his river of bright ideas that will always pave the way for a very engrossing discussion on varied subjects. From the simple to the technical topics, Jude handled them with ease. He is not called a “talk icon” for nothing.

“Managementrespectshisdecisionto move on. ABS–CBN’svarious platforms, however, remain open to Jude acknowledging his versatility and valuable contribution to the industry. The show will eventually be re-formatted to meet the challenges of the changing times,” the official statement I got from ABS-CBN Cebu Entertainment Head Donna Ocampo said it all. I will be seeing more of Jude in the future. As to when, only Jude knows.

It has been said that when God closes a door He opens a window. But in Jude’s case it is himself who decided to close the door so it is only Jude who could open a window. Jude is a gift, and people like him will never run out of bigger opportunities. So long, “Jud Morning!”