The real Korina

How does one tie down a busy person like Korina Sanchez for an interview?

It is a rare privilege indeed to have an audience with the noted broadcast journalist over lunch and it was a fun, pleasant experience. Her answers were delightful and interesting. Korina was warm and a very engaging subject. Even if you are meeting her for the first time, she makes you feel at ease, as if you have known each other for years.

Korina said that what people see on TV is also the real her. She likes order and she can be quite formal. It is already given that she strives for excellence or at least for consistency. But that is just one part of her at work. What the people discover behind the camera is that she is a simple person.

“I get surprised about how they say, ‘Mababaw lang pala ang kaligayahan mo?’ Or ‘Simple ka lang pala.’ I guess that’s also true. The silliest things make me laugh. It’s a sense of humor I developed from my dad and then in high school. I’m not that simple – I like beautiful things but I’m not flashy. Of course, for TV, I have to be dressed up, but even my choice of clothes are mostly modern classics.  Not too many frills,” she said.

Korina is crazy about her dogs and watching good movies. She de-stresses by making a flower arrangement or watching her favorite series on her iPad. She loves to design her own furniture and she also decorates homes.

What people don’t know is that she is a deep-sea scuba diver and had bungee-jumped once; she doesn’t think she will do it again, although part of her bucket list is to learn skydiving.

A typical day for her without work is to start her mornings usually with a conversation with her husband Mar. Since they are both tired at night after a day’s work, they talk inside their bedroom where they have a good view of the garden. Korina says breakfast is their bonding moment.

She loves Mondays and she tries to keep it free. Korina likes the feeling that while everyone is scampering back to work on the first day of the week, she can afford to take it easy.

She does stories for “TV Patrol” as its chief correspondent and does episodes for her weekly show “Rated K.”

On weekends, she does errands and finds time to spend with her brother and their families or with Mar’s family. She plays with her dogs when she gets home, have dinner with her mom-in-law, and waits for her husband to come home.

She describes herself as loving and family-oriented, a person who values tradition and friendships. “I am loyal, but to the extent only of my conscience’s limitations. I am open more than I am absolute. I’m a Christian, but do not subscribe to exclusions. I think logic is supreme. I thought I would be a lawyer. But when cornered to choose with my head or my heart, I usually let my heart prevail. So, I’m not sure a good lawyer that would make.”

“I’m quiet inside and out so when there’s noise inside my head, I actively pursue peace of mind. I am generous to a fault. So as not to deplete everything of mine I have resorted to charity and advocate charity. I am a true believer of good karma. I’ve patted myself on the back enough. So let me also tell you that I need more discipline in every area of my life. I need to be more patient. I need to be more forgiving.”

If she’d be given one day to do something that is not related to her job, what would it be and why? “Stay on the beach under the sun reading a magazine, yes, the whole day. I love the beach. I like to be dark. I feel healthy and energized when I go under the sun. I also believe the salt of the sea cleanses me. And I live in such a stressful environment between news and politics. The peace and solitude just for a day makes me feel I took a week off. By the way, Cebu is like a second home to me. I have many friends in Cebu so Mar and I always run off to Cebu for sun and water. Even when he can’t join me I sometimes go alone just for a day or two and invite friends from the city to join me. Cebu is my happy place,” Korina explains.

Of the high and low points of being a celebrity, Korina shared, “It is always heartening to have someone come up to you and say, ‘idol!’ or ‘I always watch you, you’re my favorite.’ The downside is that a celebrity is free-for-all to poke at, to bash, to invent stories or exaggerate about. In a life with so much negativity surrounding us, simple joys like having someone smile and recognize you is so special. More importantly, being a public figure is power. And it is that power that gives people like me the opportunity to bridge help to the needy, inspire the hopeless, entertain the lonely, or make someone believe in possibilities. With power comes responsibility.”

“Negativity is part of everyday life for everyone, not just celebrities. For those of us who choose to live publicly, the scale is just larger,” she answered when asked how she handles intrigues. “It can get to you but you get the hang of it as you mature in the business. Essentially, you must know who you are and what you stand for. You must know who and what matters and which ones don’t. And that no one is beyond improvement. There is always something to take away from any experience.”

What is the most common misconception that people have of her? “Most of what I hear is that I’m suplada or unreachable. This could’ve come from the image I developed as a tough commentator on radio and because, in the news, I hardly smile. But it’s far from the truth, really. I’m very easy, friendly and reachable. Madalas nga ako mautangan,” she laughs.

“How do I deal with the misconceptions? You can’t change someone’s concept of you all the time,” she continued. “Especially if someone just chooses to think of you in a certain way, your efforts might just be wasted. I count my blessings and know that people who insist on thinking of you in a bad way just can’t matter that much.”

If she didn’t become a TV host, Korina said her interest in logical reasoning exercises made her think once that she’ll make a good lawyer. “But I dreaded the years in school before getting out there. I actually tried applying for dentistry in UP Manila but fortunately, I didn’t make it to the quota course. I like design and the arts and am more an artist than a scientist so I might have been happy being in design – like an interior designer like my mother was, or costume and set design, or an active, serious writer.”