Raymond Gutierrez’s career advice to Richard: Make the switch

MANILA, Philippines - Now that Raymond Gutierrez is on TV5, is he also convincing his brother Richard to make the switch as well?

The entertainment press asked the 29-year-old TV host about Richard’s possible career move months after the actor’s contract with GMA-7 expired, his home network for over a decade, during the media launch of his new talk show “Showbiz Police.”

Raymond himself moved to the Kapatid network after “H.O.T. TV,” the Sunday showbiz talk show he co-hosted with Jennylyn Mercado and Regine Velasquez, went off the air.

“For me, ang advice ko kanya (Richard), pumunta ka kung saan maganda ang ilalatag sa iyo,” Raymond said in an interview recently.

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He added, “You go where the work is. Kung saan maganda ang offer, kung saan maganda ang ilalakad sayo. And si Richard, marami na rin siyang nagawa at kayang gawin.”

Richard is currently a freelance artist after he decided to take a break from showbiz. “I think now is the right time for me to step back, asses myself and see where I want to be. I’m not closing my doors on anything,” he told reporters last July.

“I know that right now, Richard is enjoying his time off. Kasi he’s been working for more than 11 years. Kung ako nga papagod, ano pa kaya siya?” Raymond said.

‘We know how the game works’

As for his career, Raymond described his engagement with TV5 on a “let’s try it out first then we’ll see” basis. He has a freelance contract with the network for “Showbiz Police,” which he co-hosts with Cristy Fermin, Jose Javier Reyes, and Lucy Torres-Gomez.

“Right now, I’m enjoying the show. What I like about working with a new station is they’re more accepting of new concepts, new ideas,” he explained.

Raymond added, “I also give them my input, my ideas. Mas accepting. Yun din ang exciting with TV5 as a network—they’re more willing, they’re open for pitches.”

If things work out, Raymond would want to be able to pitch his own shows to the network in the near future.

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As a part of a talk show, wouldn’t he find it difficult when his family—including his always talked-about mother Annabelle Rama and sister Ruffa Gutierrez—is involved in a showbiz controversy?

“I think you just have to know when you have to be a brother or a son to be a professional TV host,” Raymond said.

“I know my role. If may instance na kailangang pag-usapan yung nangyayari sa family, then I really have to discuss it. But if it’s not in my place, I won’t comment on their behalf,” he added. "We grew up in this industry, so we know how the game works."

“Showbiz Police” airs every Saturday, 6PM, on TV5.