By Armando “BUTZ” Bartolome
I had the pleasure to interview ABS CBN News Director, Guddy Hernandez. According to him, it was his first time to be interviewed and I am just so grateful that he allowed me to share a few minutes of his time. In the interview, he shared his struggles during childhood and how he attained his love for directing.
Direk Guddy Hernandez narrated how his life was growing up in Marinduque. He did not come from a wealthy family. He practically grew up with just one parent who chose to work abroad in order to meet the needs of their big family. It was a difficult time for them that they could not just rely on what their mother sends to them. He had to look for ways on how he can have enough money every day for his allowance and fare in going to school. He did odd jobs even for just a peso per task. At a young age, he felt that there was nothing he could do with their situation but to do his share in order to survive.
I was in awe at how much he had to endure at such a young age. And to think that some of the well-to-do children would often complain of not having this and that, young Guddy had to scrub the floor of his neighbors, regardless of how big it was for just Php1.00! We also sometimes hear children complain about the food prepared on the table because it is not what they expected. But the young Guddy could not complain. There was no room for huge expectations. It was enough to eat rice with coconut milk or water poured over rice with salt. Just imagine how could a young boy deal with the realities of life! Life was too difficult but it did not stop him from doing things better for him.
He was a working student in College. Just like most students, he wasn’t able to use what he took in College. He wanted to become a soldier. An opportunity knocked on his door, two to be exact. One was to pursue his dream of becoming a soldier and the other one was a job which his uncle, a pioneer in the dubbing industry, a job as a voice talent. He was torn which way to go. After so much thought, he finally decided to give his uncle’s offer a shot. Although the voice talent job experience was a good one, he felt that what he earns from it would not be enough to meet the needs of his family since he only earns per project. He needed a more stable job. He applied at Sarimanok News Channel where he became a playback operator. After quite some time with his job, he was able to learn musical scoring, basic editing, and some skills regarding the use of audio and camera. The network felt that he was ready to take a step higher than his position, and so he was promoted as a full-time director.
Being a director is no easy task. One needs to wear different hats. Although there are people who help him make one show, he needs to have a keen eye and ensure that he doesn’t miss any tiny detail. Otherwise, it could end his career. He works with almost 20 people under him – floor director, light director, cameraman, graphic artist, sound engineer, set designer, audio, etc. All these people should be able to do exactly what he says when needed. Thus, for people to follow him, strong leadership skills should be among his skills.
Thoughts on Lockdown
The lockdown allowed to him realize one important thing: he did make the right choice of practicing how to make a budget. When I asked him if he was prepared during that time, he said that he was because he had an emergency fund at hand. Knowing that he grew up with a lot of struggles, he doesn’t want his own family to suffer as he had before. And so, it was important for him to always set aside a certain amount for emergency purposes. The disruption brought about the pandemic affected so many lives. And truly, only those who have prepared for such occurrences will be able to live comfortably. However, we cannot be too complacent because our savings will eventually run dry. And that we need to do something in order to sustain the needs of our family.
I asked him what are his lifeboats in these times and he replied with three points:
1. One should be able to know where you are good at.
2. One should be able to realize his skills/talents.
3. One should know where he enjoys the best.
These became his “tools” in making his life better. And would rather think of a solution rather sulk and let the problems remain unsolved. Some people may have lost their jobs. But we could not insist on finding a similar job during this time. What should one do? A person needs to discover what he is good at and make himself productive with it. I asked Direk Guddy what he would do if ever he losses his job as a director. He confidently answered that he knows how to cook and he can make use of his skills in cooking to make a living.
One huge problem among Filipinos is not being able to easily adapt to change. Some of us are easy to say that we could not do this and that because we have gotten used to something. And we know that times have changed and will continue to change. Therefore, we must live in parallel with how the world lives. We need to learn to adjust to what is available and make good at it. And just as what Direk Guddy said, “One needs to undergo a process in order to succeed.”
Thoughts On Fear
Fear arises with the threat of harm which may be affecting us physically, emotionally, psychologically, either real or imagined. For Direk Guddy, fear only creates anxiety and insanity which could lead to more fear. I do think that no person in this world is not fearful of anything. However, with Dirck Guddy, instead of being fearful, he would rather think of what is best for his family rather than for himself. And I do agree with him. Being fearful does not allow you to do anything. You can be crippled with fear and would just allow yourself or your loved ones to become more vulnerable. And what could that lead you? NOTHING!
After all the struggles he has gone through, Direk Guddy has made himself stronger than ever. I am not saying that he will never make any mistakes, but at least, he does not allow fear to overcome his life’s decisions.
Direk Guddy’s Final Message
If there is anything that anyone thinks should do, he must do it right away. Procrastination is not among Direk Guddy’s list. He said that what must be done today, should be done today. Filipinos should get rid of the manana habit if he wants to live a successful life.
As his final words, he wants to tell everyone to keep these three things in mind:
1. To have faith in yourself. No one can help yourself but yourself. Thus, to make things happen, you must believe that you can.
2. You always have to have a positive mindset. We should program our minds in such a way that we could work things that way we want them to happen.
3. We need to change our behavior and adapt to what is necessary. The community quarantine may have brought us both positive and negative effects. The positive being, we were able to have time to be with our family and kept us safe from the virus. The negative effect, however, may have led some people into getting used to laying on bed the whole day just watching movies or sleeping.
I truly had a great time interviewing Direk Guddy. He surely has inspired so many and learned so much from his experiences as well as the great advice he has imparted to all of us. I admire people like Direk Guddy because life taught them to be tougher than ever and serves as a great inspiration to so many.
If you want some topics that you would like me to talk about or write about, please let me know. I would gladly share them on my column.
