Bañoc and Cruz: Meet the anchors of TV5 "Aksyon Bisaya"

CEBU, Philippines - “Labaw sa balita, aksyon!"

This will be the battle-cry of TV5 Cebu’s first regional newscast Aksyon Bisaya, which will premiere on Monday, July 25th at the 5:45 PM timeslot, going head-to-head with the province’s more established daily news programs.

The NEWS5 organization first aired in Manila and Davao, and has now expanded here in Cebu, with the aim of solidifying its News and Public Affairs team in our robust market. To complement their entry, TV5 had upgraded the company's facilities by building a new transmission site in Mount Busay and renovating their old, 700 square meters TV5 studio. They had also applied for higher frequencies in an effort to blanket our province with top-quality signals.

Front-lining this new third player in the local broadcast scene are lawyer-radioman Atty. Ruphil Fernandez Bañoc and former GMA7 Cebu reporter Darlanne Sino Cruz, who were welcomed by Manila-based executives and broadcasters — TV5 EVP and COO Roberto Barreiro, hard-hitting newsmen brothers Erwin and Raffy Tulfo, Martin Andanar, Paolo Bediones, Cheryl Cosim and Amelyn Veloso — during the network’s Cebu launch at the Radisson Blu Hotel.

The tandem believes they make a perfect combination and is optimistic they have what it takes to rake in the viewers. While it had long been heard among media circles that Bañoc was TV5’s choice for the male anchoring position, his female counterpart had been a guessing game until her unveiling at the much-anticipated press conference.

Voice of the masses

Bañoc, born to a farmer and a teacher in Leyte, initially set out to join the priesthood after graduating from high school but changed course when he couldn’t find a sponsor to finance his seminary studies. So instead, he enrolled at a hometown state college, now known as Visayas State University, and took up Development Communication with a major in Development Broadcasting. He went on to study Law at the University of San Carlos and completed a Master’s Degree in Development Communication at the University of San Jose-Recoletos.

Now on his 13th year as a radio anchor, he mulls over his disrupted dreams to be a man of the cloth and says it's probably all part of a divine master plan. "I don’t believe in accidents. God has arranged everything. The microphone can also be used to spread the greatness of God."

His broadcasting career began when he became a reporter and commentator at Bombo Radyo Cebu (DYMF) and then at RGMA Cebu. At present, he serves as the primetime commentator and station manager of DYHP RMN Cebu. He is also a tabloid columnist, a teacher at the DevCom Department of Cebu Technological University, and a practicing lawyer with a specialization in Criminal, Civil and Labor Laws. On top of all that, the multi-tasking media man heads the Kapisanan ng mga Broadkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) Cebu chapter.

"When the job as news anchor was offered to me, I neither accepted nor declined it immediately. I was first offered the position of a news manager but declined as I may not be able to responsibly practice my profession as a lawyer. I chose the news anchor offer. But as a good soldier, I had to refer it to the president of Radio Mindanao Network (RMN). It’s my nature to endeavor not be a headache to anyone. Thereafter, they advised me to accept it. It was a good offer in the first place. And I love challenges so much. I love new horizons," he tells The FREEMAN.

Bañoc expressed confidence when grilled on how he planned to take on established male radio and TV anchors Leo Lastimosa of ABS-CBN Cebu’s TV Patrol Central Visayas and Bobby Nalzaro of GMA7 Cebu’s Balitang Bisdak. He continues to beat the two media stalwarts on the radio airwaves, so it won’t be far-fetched that he’d eventually do the same on the TV ratings arena, so he seemed to say.

"Modesty aside, the more accurate way of saying it is, it’s the surveys after surveys that say my radio program is number one. This could be reflected in the Radio Research, KBP and Nielsen surveys. I cannot personally claim supremacy, for that would be self-serving. People in the corporate world study their moves. It is my humble submission that the TV5 management must have been aware of the official surveys on radio where I have consistently topped. The gap from the first to the second is wide. They believe I have lots to offer in the television world."

But in deference to Lastimosa and Nalzaro, Bañoc acknowledges that they are both ahead of him in the industry in terms of years and that they are good broadcasters too. "With all due respect, I refuse to compare myself with them, as it is not also in my nature to do so. It’s the viewers who are in the position to do so."

On what he thought made him effective on radio, and how he will carry that over on TV to be a similarly top-rating news reader, he says it’s all a matter of sticking to responsible broadcasting, never underestimating his audience’s grasp of the latest issues, and giving primacy to sincere public service. As a lawyer, he also strives to make issues less complicated to the masses by translating technical terms to the language understandable to his listeners.

"‘Know your audience,’ is the first lesson a student of communication learns from his professors. And he has to learn that by heart," adds Bañoc, who looks up to US television personality Larry King for his intelligence and ability to ask on-mark questions.

While his co-anchor is noticeably younger than the standard, Bañoc is the first to say that they have perfect chemistry so far. "The audience must be able to relate to the anchors. So while I serve as the voice of the masses, she serves as the heart," he states.

The bachelor revealed that when not on work mode, he is fond of reading books, relaxing at coffee shops, playing chess, hitting the beach, watching sunsets and mingling with his fellow Oasis of Love members.

Heart of the newscast

Cruz began as host for GMA7 Cebu’s morning program Buena Mano, until she became a newscaster for the afternoon Flash Bulletin and a field reporter for Balitang Bisdak. She is a pioneer Mass Communications graduate at the Cebu Institute of Technology.

The 25-year-old shares that as preparation for their airing, she is often practicing her news delivery and brushing up on the latest news. She’s a fan of CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric for her confidence and credibility. On the home front, she names TV5 news bigwig Luchi Cruz-Valdez as her hands-down idol.

Asked how she feels about feedback that she is too young to be an effective and credible anchorwoman, Cruz replied, "I take these kinds of comments as a challenge. I can't please everybody. I will just do the best I can and continue to learn everyday."

There’s also that bit about her counterparts (Atty. Haide Acuña and Atty. Rose Versoza) being both lawyers while she’s not. But Cruz does not believe one has to be a lawyer to be a good news anchor. She states that what’s important is that she is able to tell the public the truth on what they need to know concerning the community and society and be able to render true public service to people who will need her help.

She also banks on the fact that TV5 will grant her opportunities to continuously grow by still assigning her to do field work outside of her studio job. And this, she considers will be her edge. "I will still go on field so that I myself will be in the scene of events. In that way, I’ll be able to personally witness the people’s happiness because of a positive occurrence or personally feel their pain when tragedies strike."

To keep herself fit, this budding broadcaster plays tennis and badminton. On lazy days, she prefers staying at home, curling up with a good read or indulging in a DVD marathon. Like her Aksyon Bisaya partner, she makes certain to keep her spirituality in check by going to church twice a week "to give thanks to God for all the blessings He has given me."