Ate Sienna with Pong Pagong and Kiko Matsing
Although over three decades have already passed since she made her television debut, not a day goes by that complete strangers would still call her “Ate Sienna”—at the mall, in the streets, in the grocery, at work, even in cyberspace.
Well, that’s also Sienna Olaso’s real name—which she shares with her television alter ego in the seminal children’s show, “Batibot.”
“Up to now, I am referred to as Ate Sienna—evidently as it is my real name,” she told the Inquirer. “‘Batibot’ fans always buzz and PM (send a private message) me in social media.”
She often encounters loyalists who confide in her that she was part of their growing-up years. “They tell me that they wish the show is back on air to teach Filipino values to today’s kids.”
An entire generation regards Ate Sienna as big sister, teacher and friend all rolled into one.
She asserted: “I am privileged to have been part of many Filipinos’ lives.”
When she first auditioned for the job, she had no idea the impact it would have not only on her own life, but also on other 1980s kids.
In 1983, an open call was held for a female role in a children’s how. “I thought it was for ‘Kalye Sesame,” she recalled, referring to the predecessor of “Batibot.”
Sienna with the Hi5 cast (from left): Fred Lo, Alex Reyes, Rissey Reyes, Aira Biñas and Gerard Pangusan.
Sienna, 17 years young, was then a college freshman, taking up Communication Arts at the University of Santo Tomas. “I had mentioned to my mentor and spiritual adviser, Fr. James Reuter, that my dream was to work with Pong Pagong and Kiko Matsing, the main puppets of ‘Kalye Sesame,’” she reminisced.
A few months later, Fr. Reuter called Sienna with good news, dispatching her to try out for the kiddie show.
On her first day on the set, Sienna had a ball with her new playmates, Pong and Kiko. “I was still young then and, for me, it was like going to a theme park or playground,” she related. “I was not nervous at all because I treated it as playtime… not work.”
A few weeks into the program’s first season, Sienna was hit by the realization that “Batibot” was serious, real work. “That was when I became tense and self-conscious. I felt pressured and ended up crying [in the dressing room] because of my fear that I wouldn’t be able to deliver.”
One time, it took 36 takes for her to finish a scene. “I was so embarrassed to my coworkers,” she admitted. “We were expected to accomplish a scene in only two or three takes max, so that the child actors wouldn’t look tired and would still come across as natural on camera.”
That day, their first scene in the show’s courtyard, “everything went wrong.” There were technical glitches, and Sienna got rattled.
She, however, stumbled on an important life lesson that day.
“I realized I had to strike the perfect balance between fun and work,” she asserted. “I needed to prepare and be aware of the show’s requirements. I should memorize my lines, rehearse my dance steps, practice my songs.”
But it was also vital to relish each moment, she noted. After all, not everyone got to work with a gravelly voiced monkey and a gentle giant of a turtle.
“I enjoyed every minute with them,” she remarked. “Being with Pong, Kiko, Manang Bola and the whole ‘Batibot’ gang never felt like work for me.”
The human cast members, led by Kuya Mario (played by the late Junix Inocian) and Kuya Bodjie (Pascua), were just as playful on the set. They joked around until the last minute—as if savoring the sight of Sienna panicking as the countdown for the actual take commenced. “That was their way of showing cariño brutal.”
She fondly remembers the live shows, the Christmas specials, in big venues like the Araneta Coliseum, Folk Arts Theater and the Ultra.
She acknowledged that she got goosebumps, hearing “thousands of kids chanting the show’s songs, ‘Alin ang Naiba’ and ‘Ako ay Kapitbahay.’”
“The kids were so engaged—singing, dancing, clapping and cheering along with us,” she shared.
Sienna volunteered that she never really left the show, even when she went abroad for further studies.
“In 1994, I moved to New York for my masters,” she said. “I recall shooting segments whenever I visited home during spring and fall vacation.”
When “Batibot” returned briefly (from 2010 to 2011) on TV5, Sienna took part in some “storytelling” sessions.
“The show eventually had to pack up because of lack of funding,” she said. “But ‘Batibot’ was shot in a way that it was not time-bound, and the segments could be assembled and re-assembled to make a fresh episode every week.”
As such, “Batibot” can be played ad infinitum… for all eternity, in syndication, on cable, online, even in media and platforms that have yet to be invented.
“In a lot of ways, ‘Batibot’ was my school of hard knocks,” she admitted. “It all began there. I have always been guided by the mantra: Learn through fun and play. Always entertaining and educational… educational and entertaining.”
Sienna now works as vice president-head of channels and content marketing of Cignal TV, a direct-to-home and pay TV provider.
“My experience with ‘Batibot’ led me to pursue a career in broadcasting,” she said.
She dabbled in sports production—doing live coverages of basketball, boxing, billiards, bowling, badminton and volleyball tournaments. “I also did live entertainment shows for TV5 and Sports5.”
She cherishes the halcyon days of “Batibot.”
“I had the chance to participate in a similar production recently,” she reported. “It was also an early-childhood education program that features song-and-dance routines.”
It was the local version of the Australian kiddie show, “Hi5.” She experienced instant flashback in the TV5 studio every taping day. “That project really made me miss ‘Batibot’ terribly,” she exclaimed. In sum, she is “honored and humbled” to be a “Batibot” graduate.
“I am truly blessed to be part of that generation of Filipinos who grew up, learning through ‘Batibot,’” she said. “I am overjoyed every time the show’s fans, who are now parents themselves, tell me that they wish their kids can still watch the show.”