Edu having more fun: Pang-umaga, pang-tanghali at pang-gabi

It’s more fun any time of day — whether morning, noon or night.

Ask Edu Manzano whose hosting job has brought him to the round-the-clock timeslot — from Not So Late Night With Edu (midnight, Kapuso) to Umagang Kay Ganda (early morning, Kapamilya) to Pilipinas, Game KNB? (noontime, also Kapamilya), Family Feud (early evening, Kapuso), Game ‘N Go (noontime, Kapatid) and back to the early-morning slot as co-host of Tres Kumares Tintin Bersola-Babao, Chiqui Roa-Puno and Amy Perez on the new segment Kumare con Pare of TV5 Kapatid’s Good Morning Club (5 to 7 a.m.), which tackles issues married couples commonly face in all aspects of their relationships.

At what time is he at his best performance level?

“I’ve discovered that I’m at my best in the morning,” confirmed Edu. “By force of habit and necessity, I’ve become a morning person.”

I wondered, how does his body clock adjust to his constant changes of schedule?

“The solution is to limit my evening adventures,” revealed Edu. “Hindi na ako masyadong lumalabas. I work very hard so I try to play hard, too. But I have chosen to slow down because before there was a tendency to play too much. I get an average of four hours of sleep every night. Puede na sa akin ang four hours.”

He also keeps a strict no-carbo (neither bread nor rice) diet consisting of steamed chicken, egg whites and fresh-water fish (“But not ‘yung masyadong malansa, like tilapia”), plus vitamins (brands confidential).

As you must have noticed, Edu has been happily swinging between all the networks, so Funfare asked him tongue-in-cheek: How soon will he surface on CNN, BBC, Fox or Al Jazeera?

Feigning seriousness, Edu replied, “Well, Al Jazeera offered me a contract but I’m still learning Arabic. But I will be starting with Telemondo very soon,” and proceeded to speak Spanish (Si, Señor Edu habla Espanol!) that went over my head.

With his current schedule, Edu can spend more time with his three children — Luis (with Gov. Vilma Santos), 32; and Adi, 19, and Enzo, 15 (both with a non-showbiz girlfriend).

“There’s no such thing as quality time which is every busy person’s usual excuse for not being with his family,” said Edu. “There’s only quantity time. You see, the industry has a way of grabbing you by the ears at wala kang nakikita kundi ang sarili mo so I’m trying to make it up with my kids by spending as much time with them as possible.”

From Dec. 22 to end of the month last year, Edu spent “quantity time” with Adi and Enzo in Hawaii (but Luis had to begged off because of a last-minute taping schedule).

“In times like that, sila ang bida,” said Edu, then addressing parents out there, “Don’t ever think na makakabawi ka; you can never make up for lost time, so spend as much quantity time as you can with your family.”

With his current schedule, Edu should be up before the cocks crow and can have enough time to jog around the UP area before he proceeds to the TV5 studio in Novaliches, Quezon City, for his morning show. Then, maybe he can take power naps and, if the kids are free, have lunch or watch a movie with them — “Sometimes kasama ang girlfriends or  boyfriend nila.”

“I have only one advice for them,” said Edu. “After they are done with school, they can pursue any career they want. I support them in whatever they want to do. My kids are close to each other. Luis is taking up Muay Thai and he has gotten Enzo interested in the sport.”

Anyway, for more of Edu’s pieces of advice (and opinions) on, well, “all kinds of relationships,” with family or otherwise, tune in to TV5 for Good Morning Club.

What’s up?

Jose Feliciano’s announced Feb. 21/22 concert at Waterfront Hotel Cebu and Araneta Coliseum has been scheduled (new date to be announced later). Ovation Productions, producer of the show, ticket holders may contact 911-5555 or 532-8883 (Manila numbers) or 232-6888 or 0917-6228705 (Cebu numbers) for refund inquiries.

From my friend Robin Tong: My mom has stories about Pepe Pimentel (who died Thursday, Jan. 24) during the Japanese period. Back then, Pepe was already a bit of a joker and how dangerously close he was to annoying the Japanese soldiers sometimes but he succeeded in making them laugh even if they got pikon sometimes. Pepe was very young then.

Junne Quintana was elected new president of Aliw Awards. The other officers are: Brian James Lu, first vice president; Frank Rivera, second vice president; Tess Tan, secretary; Francia Conrado, treasurer; and Sonny Valencia, PRO. Board of trustees: Joey Nombres, Len Santos, Sylvia Cruz, Efren Montano, Dennis Aguilar, Angelo “Eloy” Padua, Art Tapalla, lawyer Ofelia Cajigal and Leonardo “Nards” Belen.