2011 ‘most crucial’ in Abunda’s career

BOY Abunda photo by RICHARD REYES

TV host Boy Abunda is in a bind.

“Tough decisions” are forthcoming, he said, because his contract with ABS-CBN expires this year. Abunda told the Philippine Daily Inquirer, “This year is, without a doubt, the most crucial in my life as a professional.”

Abunda currently hosts four programs: “The Buzz,” “SNN” and “The Bottom Line” on ABS-CBN; and “Inside the Cinema” on the Cinema One channel.

“I love hosting. It’s like a cake, you divide your love [for each show] equally,” he said.

And he still runs Backroom Inc., his public relations group that has spun off into talent management. “Although I have a team that does this for me, there are things I still need to do personally, like read contracts or meet with clients,” he said.

Abunda is also Ambassador for the Arts of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and spokesperson of the Batang Listo and Batang Bida programs of Plan International, an advocacy group that works to alleviate child poverty.

Equal rights

Recently Abunda announced his appointment as senior adviser of the political party Ladlad, which fights for equal opportunities for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and trans-genders (LGBT). He’s also expected to accept the post of Ambassador of Goodwill for the United Nations Population Fund.

Of any advocacy that he takes on, Abunda said, “It has to be something I believe in, close to my heart and relevant.”

He does an average of six speaking engagements monthly, traveling around the country to address students and other sectors.

“On top of this, I’m still working on my doctorate on Social Development. I’ve stopped teaching [at Philippine Women’s University]. I don’t have time anymore,” he said.

But his only misgiving about his busy, busy life is spending less time with his 82-year-old mother. “There were days when Nanay wouldn’t eat when I wasn’t around,” he related. “I was in the Camotes Islands [Cebu] last week and in Iriga City [Bicol] the other day.”

He turned down an offer to work as tourism secretary. He explained, “It wasn’t the right time. First, I still had this contract [with ABS-CBN]. Second, I was finishing my masters. Third, I wasn’t financially ready. I had saved enough for Nanay and myself to live comfortably [but] if you join government, you have to have disposable money. I don’t want to be questioned if I buy something expensive, like Hermes. I want to be able to declare, ‘May ipon ako. May pang-beach house ako.’”

There were negative reactions when word about that offer got around, and the one that hurt the most, Abunda said, was that he was “just an entertainer.”

During the Ladlad press con, Abunda discussed his plan to run for governor of Eastern Samar, his hometown, in 2016. “I can do the job because I work hard, because I’m a marketing man. I don’t want a government position now. There’s this notion that being a friend of the Aquinos sort of diminishes my qualifications.”

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