THE MORNING RUSH TOP 10

106
JRN
THE MORNING RUSH TOP 10
CHICO, DELLE
AND
GINO:
Re-defining mornings
by Laguilles, Arielle Ana G.
Morning traffic per se is a monstrosity as far as the folks
from Metro Manila are concerned and this is just one of
the problems that commuters face everyday. Since then,
morning radio shows have found great ways to entertain their listeners – whether stuck in traffic, or not. It
is at this point that good morning radio shows are like a
he already had a long day. DJs Chico and Gino just got
back from their
Beijing trip along
with the other
DJs of Monster
Radio.
whiff of fresh air that distracts the weary motorists from
being “bad trip”. Most morning radio shows offer a wide
range of topics everyday and play music in between.
The Morning Rush hosted by DJs Chico, Del, and Gino
does just that. As best described by DJ Del, “The Morning Rush is all about talk and music. We try to entertain
with music, talk, and silliness, with pictures. As long
as the people listening are entertained.” Listeners are
drawn into the show because of their interesting gimmicks like The Morning Rush Top 10, the Epic rap-off,
Epic-picture, recently the “Scandal”, their good-natured
jokes, and their excellent taste for good music.
Stiff and awed at first, we just asked household questions: What are the perks of being a DJ?
“You don’t wanna do
a gimmick that somebody else is doing. I
For quite some don’t think there’s antime now, peo- other show that would
ple are used to
just hearing the do a Top 10, because
comedic spills
of this wacky we’re doing the Top
trio,
although10.You don’t wanna do
they have done
a few TV stints. something that someThanks to academic require- body is already doing,
ments, we were or somebody already,
given a chance to
see the faces be- quote unquote, ‘owns’,
hind these voices
diba?”
that people immediately recog—Chico Garcia
nize.
“Definitely not the co-hosts”, Gino jokingly answered.
“Well, the hours. Like, we’re done. Most people just
got to the office pero kami, [but we] we’re done”, added
Chico. “It’s a fun job. Two, we get paid to watch movies,
go to parties, try out products, and meet celebrities”, Del
said.
It was a Wednesday morning when we came to the
Monster Radio studio in Ortigas to interview DJs Chico,
Del, and Gino. As expected, they were as glib as they are Definitely, the perks of being a DJ are something any
on air although DJ Gino looked especially tired, as if one would love to have; but let’s face it, being a DJ entails
2
a lot of work and research and it is not just something
one instantly becomes good at – it requires a lot of skill. “Rushers”, as what avid The Morning Rush listeners are
When asked about whether being DJ is a profession or called, all know that Gino only became a permanent
a hobby, all three of them agreed that it is a profession. part of the show only last year, when he had to substitute for Del, who, at that time, was on maternity leave.
“Kasi [because] when you say it’s a profession it can Chico and Gino then formed a tandem called “ChiChi
mean two things eh. It can mean you’re paid to do it, in and GiGi”. The duo became successful and received
that case it can be a profession, it can be a hobby. But it’s great reviews, and so the management decided to make
a profession in a sense na [that] it takes a lot of training Gino a permanent DJ on The Morning Rush. With the
to do it. It’s not just something na parang [that] just be- addition of Gino Quillamor, the show was sort of recause you talk well or you’re very glib that you will be a born, with the addition of new portions like the Epicgood DJ”, Chico explained.
rap off and the Epic-picture, but still retaining its main
feature, The Top 10. The Morning Rush received awards
Thinking of how to make a distinguishing factor be- from the OMG Yahoo! Awards and the Tag Awards last
tween The Morning Rush and other morning shows is 2012. This just proves that The Morning Rush is not just
their ultimate goal: “You don’t wanna do a gimmick that any other morning show. The show’s 17-year existence
somebody else is doing. I don’t think there’s another is enough evidence that it is here to stay, regardless of
show that would do a Top 10, because we’re doing the other morning shows from rival stations.
Top 10.You don’t wanna do something that somebody
is already doing, or somebody already, quote unquote,
‘owns’, diba? [right?]”
CHICO GARCIA
Full name:
Frederick Y. Lagbao
Birthday:
June 17, mind your own business
Height:
5’7”
Graduated from:
University of the Philippines
Course:
Communication
Favorite Food:
I love everyhing :(
I don’t eat:
Anything malansa
Favorite Color:
Red
Favorite Movie of All Time:
JAWS, LOTR
Favorite Song of All Time:
Moon River
3
Del
Beyond DJ
talks
Her Sweet about
Voice: her life
by Quiamco, Jhade
Monster Radio’s, Morning Rush sweetheart Delamar
Arias shares with us the struggles and joys of being a
well-known DJ for more than a decade.
The Morning Rush is the award-winning flagship weekday radio show of Monster Radio RX 93.1. It is hosted
by the 3 Disc jockeys, Chico Garcia, Delamar Arias and
Gino Quillamor from 6-10 am. The show made it for
more than a decade form 1996 up to the present with a
countless number of avid listeners.
Yellow, Yellow think,” she responded.
“My favourite food is pasta, but I don’t eat shrimps, I
have allergy, so ayun,” she said. She is indeed a funny
person that loves everything depending on her mood
or situation.
Del is now a single mom with boyfriend, her baby’s
name is Cooper Matteo Arias, which means “a gift from
God.” She got pregnant at the age of 35. And she was not
even married to her musician boyfriend, Tyler Ashby.
DJ Del’s fast facts
By now, you probably know her cute voice better than
your own professor’s. Delamar Arias has been known as
the “better radio half ” of DJ Chico Garcia since 1996. “I didn’t expect it, and to be honest, I didn’t want it, beDel and Chico have the perfect mix of humor and the cause of the situation,” confessed the 39-year-old disc
chemistry is undeniable, plus Gino that now brought
jock on her
the maximum level of joy and kikay facts
inter view
and joke that they serve the audience. Chico
with Smart
is the one who burst the killer punch lines, as
Parenting.
Gino give his funny yet sophisticated comments and opinions, Del would gave her very
“There were
infectious laugh that would catch the listenjust
fears
ers’ humor box. Del doesn’t just have attracbecause of
tive and sweet voice, but with a disarming
the situasmile, stunning beauty and an overall downtion. But the
to-earth vibe, it’s no wonder this radio star
pre g nanc y
made the listeners hang on to her every word
itself?,
I
for a decade and a half.
couldn’t be
happier kasi
Del is a cool person with a good taste of fashion, on our I didn’t expect it and I didn’t even, to be honest, want it.
interview Del is wearing a beautiful black dress, with
a black chaleco and cool grey wedge hills. She’s indeed “I have an idea of family and how kids should be brought
stunning. Del is already 39 years old, and will be cele- in this world, and obviously, I didn’t follow it, so the resbrating her 40th birthday on October 14, 2013. She took ervation was coming from there.”
up her History course in UP Manila then transferred It didn’t take long before she realized that having
to UP Diliman. We asked her about her favourite color,
“No, nothing I don’t have, but if I need to choose one,
4
Cooper, the baby’s name, is a blessing.
their finest break in life. Being a Dj is del’s first job. And
we asked her, if she’s not a dj now, what would be her profession?
“I
don’t
k n o w ,
I
don’t
k n o w… .
Maybe a
t e a c h e r,
but maybe
not. I don’t
know.” She
answered.
“There was a dream that was shattered, kasi one thing
you said you wouldn’t do happened to you.
“But then when I thought about it, you weren’t supposed
to get pregnant ever. But then here you are, against all
odds, age, your medical condition, everything.
“Apart from the shock of it, there was fear obviously, but
after a while, ‘Hey, I’ll be a mom!’
“When I got used to the idea of the pregnancy, then I
was quite happy about it.
“Oh my god, I’m spawning!”
(Courtesy of smartparenting.com.ph)
Being a Dj is not just a job sitting on a chair while you
discuss something. Delamar told us about the perks and
frustrations of beina a Dj.
Yes, Del is a woman of fire, spirit and dignity. She
chooses not to be under the sacrament of marriage just
because she’s pregnant. Though already pregnant with
Tyler’s baby, she didn’t impose
the idea of getting married just“Apart from
for the baby’s sake.
the shock of
“Look outside. [People outside the conference room]
They’re working pero they’re taking their time.”
“Yeah, they can chill. If you’re a DJ, especially on the
morning show, everything is fast, everything. And you
can’t not…you can’t afford to not have your attention
there. So, for 4 hours, isipin mo yun, deciding what
songs to play, you’re checking Twitter, you’re checking Facebook, you’re checking commercial load, you’re
checking your co-hosts!”
Delamar enjoys her life being ait, there was
single mom who gets help and
fear
obvisupport from her boyfriend.
ously, but af-
“Every step of the way, I need to
decide what’s good for Cooper,ter a while,
what’s good for me.”
‘Hey, I’ll be a
“Your brain is never…you know, uh.. standing still in
the 4 hours. And you do it every day.”
mom!’
Delamar as a DJ
Profession can neither be rou—Delle Arias
tine nor hobby. Routine if you
don’t love what you are doing,
and doing your thing just for the sake of doing it. Hobby, if yes, you’re having fun, not actually the total opposite of routine, but something when the time you get
bored you’ll just drop it for a moment.
“You’re multitasking… It’s like you’re juggling so many
balls in the air. Like a juggler. You’re doing ten thousand things at the same time.”
“You can do whatever…you don’t have to. Pero siyempre if you want to maximize your earning capacity, then
that’s what you do. The hours, one it’s a fun job. I mean,
for certain types of personalities. I mean, there are personalities that can work behind the desk. There are personalities that are better with, you know, performance
like that. So that’s one, it’s a fun job. Two, we get paid
to watch movies, go to parties, uhm.. try out products,
meet celebritie. Yun eh. It’s a perk, for sure.”
“Ako ano eh, I just heard a plug on the radio, I was on
the bus with a friend, and then there was a plug umm,
that invited students to audition. Parang, you don’t need
to be a Mass Comm major, you just need to have a voice
and if you really want to be on radio. So, dinare lang
niya ko. So sabi ko, “Okay, I bet I can do it.” And I did it,
and the rest is history.”
They say being a Dj is somehow a destiny for them
(chico,gino,del). They never expect that this would be
5
The downside of being a Dj is the work itself. They could
no celebrate some events because they have to stay late
night, for the show. They don’t even have vacation, typhoon, or other calamities can never be an excuse.
There are times that she would want to quit their job,
“I think that’s your ano eh, like, your default reaction
when you’re…you’re frustrated with something. And
the first frustration comes from co-hosts. [Laughs].”
“No I mean, it’s part of the job. Sometimes you get sick
and tired of… let’s say, kasama talaga yun eh. Sometimes there are too many commercials and you’re like,
“Ahhhh I can’t handle this!” you wish you weren’t a DJ.”
She also say as that having the Dj career can either be rewarding or not, because it depends on the station you’re
in and the fact that Dj’s only have 4hrs working hours
for the day, they would havt to get some other rockets if
they need more income.
5-10 years from now, Del can’t imagine how her life
would be, its just that she can’t predict what could it be
on that time. “Hope fully thinner. [Laughs] You don’t…
in this job talaga, you almost don’t think about
that. You really do it like, everyday. Kasi we didn’t even
think that last year, we had such a great 2012. If somebody told us that our 2012 is going to be as spectacular
as it turned out, we wouldn’t believe it. In this job, you
just do it every…. Every chance you get you do a good
job. And then it propels you to better opportunity. Like,
we started last year with the book launch, and parang,
“Wow, may book.” Tapos … and then there was uhh…
the OMG Yahoo! Awards, and then there was the Tag
Awards, and then, parang, it kept getting better and better. We, you… I don’t think anyone can plan that. What
you can do is do a good job everyday and things start to
happen to you. So we try not to play the game of “Oh in
5 years ah” you’ll… you’ll probably get so frustrated. So
just wing it. Wing it everyday and you’ll know naman if
you’re doing a good job, or if it’s time to say goodbye, so
hopefully that won’t be anytime soon.” She explained.
She’s indeed a lovely tough woman on and off air.
“Being a Dj can be your destiny or not, but make sure
on your everyday you enjoy your life.” She added on a
direct message on twitter.
Full name:
Delamar C. Arias
Birthday:
October 14, 1973
Height:
5’0”
Graduated from:
University of the Philippines
Course:
History
Favorite Food:
Pasta
I don’t eat:
Shrimp, allergies! :(
Favorite Color:
Yellow
Favorite Movie of All Time:
When Harry Met Sally, Matrix
Favorite Song of All Time:
That’s hard!!! Lupang Hinirang.
DELAMAR ARIAS
6
A MORNING
Harmony
by Leonida, Jamie E.
“It’s a profession, for sure,” Gino Quillamor answered
with conviction when asked about whether being a DJ
is a profession or a hobby. Seated beside him were Delamar Arias and Chico Garcia, who originally was a tandem before Gino joined at the end of 2011. His seriousness, of course, was only due to the question. But after
a few Q&A warm ups, the characters of the DJs I listen
to in the morning gradually transpired in front of me.
has always been a struggle for them to keep things fun
and not boring.
The effort for
entertainment
stirs
their brain
most of the
time. From
the outside,
they may look
like they’re
just talking
and
doing
commercials;
but behind all
of those, they
juggle a lot of
things while
giving each and
every task the same amount of focus. It’s either they decide on what songs to play, check Twitter and Facebook
for listener responses, check commercial load, check
their cohosts, and from time to time, even check their
emotional control. Sometimes with a heavy workload
packed in 4 hours, even bathroom breaks are postponed. “Walang exaggeration,” exclaims Chico.
The Morning Rush Top 10, having different listeners all
over the globe, a chain of trending topics and a number of followers on Twitter, is one of the most popular
shows on the radio. Their clever antics and witty punch
lines are just one of the reasons why commuters, students and employees, choose to include them in their
morning habits.
Popularity equates to pressure. And pressure is what the
three DJs face now. “You’re as only good as your last
show, it really is true. We may have entertained people
today, but if we don’t do it tomorrow, we’re one step
closer to losing them,” Delamar explained. It was either
they top their last performance or at least keep it on the
same level. From the very first time they went on air, it
So whenever they have the chance to enjoy their day,
they opt to do something relaxing like watching movies
or hanging out with friends. “I don’t even talk around
my friends anymore, I just listen,” admits Gino. They
live up to the saying “A good speaker is a good listener.”
The talkative disc jockeys are really not that chatty in
real life. But chances are, what they have observed and
listened to when not at work is what they input during their shows. They are like sponges absorbing everything that they can use as a material for the show.
7
If you think their day ends after all the non-stop talking, then you’re wrong. Every now and then, they still
have other things to worry about. They go to meetings
with clients who explain to them the products they will
have to execute during the show, they host at night, they
have other jobs, and they also have their personal lives.
Everything seems a routine except that businesses are
different things every day.
Did they ever think of quitting? Got tired and maybe
thought about doing something else? “Ask anyone who’s
been doing a job for quite some time. They’ll tell you
that they’ve had a time when they want to quit. I don’t
think there’s anyone working who never experienced
that,” Chico replies. Comments on their performances
and too many demands sometimes trigger this emo- Aside from the sentiments, they also share the same
tion. And then ,there are the hitches of the job.
story on how they landed their job—through a friend.
Delle was dared to join by a friend when they heard a
Non-working holidays are non-existent to them. They plug inviting students to audition. Both Chico and Gino
all have to go to work even if it is Christmas or New were asked to accompany their friend and then, as they
Year. “Typhoon, fire, whatever. Ahhhh everybody’s on say, the rest is history. When the question about a differholiday and we’re here,” ent career was put up, both Delle and Gino can’t think of
Gino adds. But apart any industry they would probably be part of. But Chico
from those, a lot of perks expressed that, most likely, he would be part of an ad
compensates on the agency. But with this emerging media, the internet as a
shortcomings. On one medium, it is easier to dabble on so many things, writhand, most workers just ing, hosting, or what have you.
got into the office while
on the other hand, they We tried asking about what is ahead of their future and
are already done for the they all did not want to ponder on it. It is because they
job. They also get paid to
watch movies, go to parties, try out products,
meet celebrities and get
so many freebies. And
then Gino vainly said,
“And you get to grate
your friends. [Laughs]
Diba? Parang you can go
back to high school and
you’ll be like, ‘Ah what’s up? Who’s the loser now?!’””
“I don’t even
talk around
my
friends
anymore,
I
just listen,”
—Gino
Quillamor
But is a DJ career financially rewarding? Delle says that
even if they only work for 4 hours, 3 hours for some
DJs, they still get paid as if they’re working for 8 hours.
Gino snorted then pointed out that we should check an
envelope inside Chico’s pocket.
8
think nothing is really sure; like they didn’t expect that 2012 will be remarkable. Launching a book, winning the Tattoo Awards plus the Tag
Awards, and every day it gets surpassed. The pressure that they dread
is what motivates them to do good or to be better even more.
Chico said that if there would be a bigger word for “Thank you,” it
would be it—a perfect explanation for how grateful they are to the listeners
throughout the years. those
who bought their books,
and to those who continue
to support them.
And then again, after every serious question, one of them makes the
mood very light… “Si Gino kasi ungrateful eh,” continues Chico.
GINO QUILLAMOR
Full name:
Gino Mikhail R. Quillamor
Birthday:
December 17, 1984
Height:
5’9”
Graduated from:
Philippine School of Business Administration
Course:
Management
Favorite Food:
Lahat! Cebuano lechon!
I don’t eat:
Balot and gulay. I hate vegetables.
Favorite Color:
White
Favorite Movie of All Time:
Star Wars, LOTR, Iron Man, Avengers
Favorite Song of All Time:
Current favorite song… Swedish House
Mafia‘s Don’t You Worry Child
9
BIT by BIT
INTERVIEW WITH DEL, CHICO AND GINO FROM
THE MORNING RUSH
January 23, 2013
Monster Radio RX 93.1
17th floor, Strata 2000, Ortigas, Pasig City
to work” but you still have to do it anyway. You know, so parang that’s the difference between a hobby and a profession.
Before you became a DJ, did you have other jobs?
C: I was still in college so, no. /
G: /He was inventing fire [Laughs]
Some call being a DJ a profession, some call it a hobby. What’s
your take on this?
C: /It was my first job! [Laughs]
G: It’s a profession, for sure.
D: I was a fresh grad. I got into radio in 2002.
C: No kasi you know, it is a profession. Pero some people use
the profession as their hobby if they don’t use it. Pero it takes
a lot skill. Kasi when you say it’s a profession it can mean two
things eh. It can mean you’re paid to do it, in that case it can
be a profession, it can be a hobby. But it’s a profession in a
sense na it takes a lot of training to do it. It’s not just something na parang just because you talk well or your’e very glib
that you will be a good DJ. So uh..some people take it seriously, and some people don’t but definitely, it takes a lot of
work and a lot of training to be DJ.
G: Well I was a student. I had a part-time job in a call center
while I was still studying
C: Diba you were like a host? A mascot? Ano yun? [Laughs]
G: Uhhhh..I started off as a marshal, like you usher people
into like, events. Then the organizer figured that I could talk
pala, so I sort of hosted na rin. So there. 
If you weren’t a DJ, what would you probably do?
G: I would be waiting for my mana from my parents. /
[Laughs]
G: A lot of people, I guess, just figure that it’s parang it’s an
easy thing to do kasi you just talk and whatever. But what
they don’t know is what goes on behind it, and what goes on
after it and before the show, when like, there’s so much that
you have to take in consideration and parang, when like, ano,
whenever kasi I hear the word “hobby” usually it’s like going
wakeboarding, biking, or whatever. That’s a hobby, for me.
But when you say profession then it’s something that entails
a lot of work so this definitely entails a lot of work even if it
seems like on the outside it’s just all fun and games/
G: /At least I’m honest!
C: Uhhhh…siguro, ad agency? Or a writer. Nah, ad agency. I
mean, ideally, a writer pero there’s hardly any money in writing, so most likely I would be part of an ad agency as a copy
writer/
G: /Male stripper [Laughs] That’s his dream job.
C: /Actually if you make it look easy, a lot of work probably
was put into it.
D: I don’t know, I don’t know. /
D: Tsaka let’s face it diba, hobby, you can always drop it when
you don’t wanna do it anymore. If it’s a profession, I mean,
you’re hired to do something. You gotta be there whether you
feel like it or not.
G: And even if it’s something that you love to do. Like let’s
just say, I’m pretty sure that we (referring to Del and Chico)
all love being on radio. But there are days na parang, “Oh I’m
so tamad to go to work” or “I’d like to sleep, I don’t want to go
G: Diba?
D: /Maybe a teacher, but maybe not. I don’t know.
How do you prepare your topics every morning?
C: Ahhh, you know, it’s uh… one of three things: either we
come up with it, or it’s requested via Twitter, or it’s a little
10
bit of both. Like, they request one topic, pero we tweak it
uhhh..to our liking. So it’s just any one of the three. Uhm,
sometimes it’s more of the uh… the third one. Yung parang,
somebody requests for it, and then we just tweak it a little bit
to make it more radio-friendly.
What was the biggest factor that led you to become a DJ?
G: I was hungry and I had no work. [Laughs] I was forced to
live off the streets. [Laughs]
C: It was destiny. /
G: /But if you come think about it, yeah!
C: /No kasi, I wasn’t going into radio if it wasn’t for a friend
of mine who wanted to get into radio. Nagpasama lang siya
to audition [….] They say it’s a very common story but that’s
how it was and I ended up in radio and uhm…well my friend
ended up in radio din, pero not in that station that we applied in but uhm..as in, I so did not want to be part of the
radio. I never saw myself as a broadcaster, as a DJ.
Arielle: But you ended up loving your job na?
C: Eventually. Pero sobrang I wasn’t into radio – at all. I wanted to be a newscaster or an actor or anything except DJ! /
G: /Feeeeeeling!!!! [Laughs]
C: Bakit, pwede namang kontra bida ah?! Meron namang
role na kontra bida ah. Sinabi ko bang bida?! [Laughs] Pero
alam mo yun, I would rather be everything else in media except DJ. Seriously. As in I mean it. Think of a media job, mas
okay pa ako dun kesa sa radio. That was before I entered radio. So it’s so weird that I would become a DJ.
G: Janitor ng ABS-CBN?
C: Media nga. Yung mga on-cam or whatever.
G: Same here, actually. Uhm, I never even intended on going into radio. Uh, my friend just asked me to drive for him
because he didn’t have a car that time so he was like, “Oh
can you drive me to the station, I’m gonna audition because
there’s a competition.” And he was like, “Oh why don’t you
bring like uhhh, your resume while you’re at it na rin?” So I
was like, “Okay.” And then so we joined the same competition, I ended up winning it and then..well, here I am.
invited students to audition. Parang, you don’t need to be a
Mass Comm major, you just need to have a voice and if you
really want to be on radio. So, dinare lang niya ko. So sabi ko,
“Okay, I bet I can do it.” And I did it, and the rest is history.
What are the perks of being a DJ?
G: Definitely not the co-hosts. [Laughs]
C: Well, the hours. Like, we’re done. Most people just got to
the office, pero kami we’re done.
Arielle: Like, you’re done for the day?
C: Yeah! Well, I mean for, the job. /
D: /Kasi you can opt naman not to. /
C: / you can opt not to do hosting
D: /Apart from hosting the show, we also host events.
C: But that’s outside of the job.
D: You can do whatever…you don’t have to. Pero siyempre if
you want to maximize your earning capacity, then that’s what
you do. The hours, one it’s a fun job. I mean, for certain types
of personalities. I mean, there are personalities that can work
behind the desk.
There are personalities that are better with, you know,
performance like that. So that’s one, it’s a fun job. Two,
we get paid to watch movies, go to parties, uhm.. try out
products, meet celebrities /
G: /Get so many freebies
D: /Yun eh. It’s a perk, for sure.
G: And you get to grate your friends. [Laughs] Diba?
Parang, you can go back to high school and you’ll be
like, “Ah what’s up? Who’s the loser now?!” 
What about the downsides of being a DJ?
C: Well…no vacation!! Well, di naman no vacation
pero, parang, alam mo yun, we have sobrang konti.
G: Well, the only days we have na vacation uhm…holy
C: Tapos siniraan ni Gino yung friend niya kaya siya nanalo. week. Just the three days. Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Black Saturday.
[Laughs]
D: Ako ano eh, I just heard a plug on the radio, I was on
the bus with a friend, and then there was a plug umm, that
C: So Christmas, New Year, typhoon..we have to go. /
G: Typhoon, fire, whatever.
11
C: And holidays /
pended until after the show is finished. Walang exaggeration.
As in you just hold it in kasi you literally cannot leave your
station kasi there’s just so many things happening. So it’s 4
hours na talagang hyper, packed /
G: Holidays.
C: / Basta merong holiday, we’re not affected.
D: / Actually, you’re on your toes /
G: Parang you really feel it eh like “Ahhhh everybody’s on
holiday and we’re here..” 
C: / You’re on your toes for 4 hours, no time to rest.
C: So like, I have friends in the corporate world, they have
like 20 days, 30 days in a year.
D: / Look outside. [People outside the conference room]
They’re working pero they’re taking their time. /
We have ten. That’s like once a month hanggang October.
C: / If they wanna take a break, they could
G: Tsaka no matter how long you’ve been here..like, look at
him [referring to Chico] he’s been here forever.
G: / In other words, they’re working pero minsan pume-petiks din [Laughs]
C: So that’s ten in a year.
D: / Kasi ang dali diba. /
D: Kaya mag-aral nalang.
Arielle: /They can chill.
C: That’s one of the things we miss about school; summer
vacation.
D: Yeah, they can chill. If you’re a DJ, especially on the morning show, everything is fast, everything. And you can’t not…
you can’t afford to not have your attention there. So, for 4
hours, isipin mo yun, deciding what songs to play, you’re
checking Twitter, you’re checking Facebook, you’re checking
commercial load, you’re checking your co-hosts! [Laughs] /
G: I hated school when I was in school but now that I’m at
work, I’m like, “Ahhh I miss school.”
C: I still don’t like school pero, I love the summer vacation.
G: / Thinking of other gimmicks to make things more interesting
How do you spend your time when you’re not working?
C: Sakin charity work… [Laughs]
D: Your brain is never…you know, uh.. standing still in the 4
hours. And you do it everyday.
D: Whatever!!
C: No /
G: And it’s not just one track. Like, okay, well let’s just say
you’re in front of a computer, like you’re…you’re behind a
desk or something like that. Usually, you’re focusing on just
one thing. Whereas with this, you’re focusing on several different things /
G: / More like internet research.
C: / Rest. Kasi, specially this past Christmas season, our
schedule was really toxic and uhm, hostings are really heavy
in December. Super, like the heaviest.
G: Actually surprisingly enough, even this month. /
D: / You’re multitasking
C: / Yeah
G: with the same amount of focus on each and every single
one.
D: / Mhhhhmmmm.
D: It’s like you’re juggling so many balls in the air.
C: Pero, alam mo yun, uh, on a regular month, it’s not that
heavy. Actually ano, uh, we try to, kasi..even though we’re
just 4 hours, it’s a myth that it’s easy. Our 4 hours is equivalent to other people’s 8 hours. Kasi ‘pag 8-hour job ka, you
can opt to take your own pace, you know, eto talaga it’s 4
hours of like, literally, you cannot relax. Not even for – not
even like going to the bathroom to wi-wi. Minsan it’s sus-
C: Like a juggler!
D: Like a juggler. You’re doing ten thousand things at the
same time.
G: And controlling your emotions at the same time, ‘cuz say
you’re having a bad day, you can’t make it seem that you’re
12
having a bad day on air.
C: Actually, the reason we were bringing it up that it’s hectic,
kasi you were asking nga pala what we do outside, like what’s
a typical day. So, the reason we brought this up is that it really
is hectic. So when we do have spare time, believe it or not,
we would rather do, parang, like stuff that would relax you. /
D: / You wanna meditate.
can’t be na puro okay yung mga callers. There will always be
one or two who will try to be epal about it. You know, parang,
para maiba lang, ganun.
Was there ever a time when you thought of quitting your job?
G: Yes. [Laughs]
C: You wanna just watch a movie or something. Believe it or
not, sleep is such a precious commodity to us.
D: I think that’s your ano eh, like, your default reaction when
you’re…you’re frustrated with something. And the first frustration comes from co-hosts. [Laughs]
G: I don’t even talk around my friends anymore, I just listen.
C: I think nung pumasok si Gino. [Laughs]
D: Kasi yeah, pero it’s also good for you to listen. Kasi if you’re
always talking, you know, if you’re a DJ, para kang sponge eh.
When you go on the air, that’s when you squeeze everything
that you observed from everything; from traffic, to movies,
to songs, to clubs – everything. It’s all in your head. So when
you do the show, everything that you observed, you put it
there. Para you have content. So we find ourselves talking on
the show, ang daldal namin pero in real life /
D: No I mean, it’s part of the job. Sometimes you get sick and
tired of /
G: We’re just like… [blank expression]
G: Tapos parang the demands are too much and you’re like,
“Ikaw kaya dito!” parang mapapaganun ka nalang, so like,
frustration yun.
D: Yeah. We’re observing, we’re checking out what people are
doing and whatever, and also /
G: / Delikado rin yun kasi napapanis yung laway. [Laughs]
Okay lang yun, toothbrush ka lang.
D: as much as we can, we relax, pero because we’re hosting
a radio show in the morning, we’re doing meetings after the
show because clients want to explain their products to us so
we can execute them on the show, and then we have hosting
at night, which take us all the way ‘til midnight sometimes.
G: And we have other jobs, our personal lives, and then you
wake up at 5, and then you eat breakfast, and you do the exact same thing.
Arielle: So is that a routine?
D: That’s what makes our job fun – it’s not a routine.
C: It’s different things everyday.
G: Pero same amount of busy-ness.
G: / your co-hosts [Laughs]
D: let’s say, kasama talaga yun eh. Sometimes there are too
many commercials and you’re like, “Ahhhh I can’t handle
this!” you wish you weren’t a DJ.
D: And when people comment about your performance as a
DJ on Twitter, medyo nakakapikon, because we’re humans!
C: Actually, any…ask anyone who’s been doing a job for quite
some time. They’ll tell you that they’ve had a time when they
wanna quit. I don’t think there’s anyone working who never
experienced that. Kasi siyempre if you’re doing the same
thing over and over again, parang siyempre kahit papaano
diba, you start thinking of, “What if I was doing something
else?”
G: It’s like life. I’m sure everybody has at least thought of
quitting life every now and then.
Is a DJ career financially rewarding?
C: Yeah. But it depends which DJ you’ll ask. Kasi, you know,
it will depend on your /
G: / If you’re starting out..
D: / Tsaka your station!
Do you ever get annoying callers?
D: Well, yeah. When we used to open the phone line. Well, if
we ever do, kasi that’s something that comes with the job. It
13
C: station. Kasi if you work for a station that doesn’t have a
lot of commercials, then most likely /
D: Mhhhmmm.
C: Ako I want to do drama, eh. /
D: / Walang pambayad.
G: / Kasi ma-drama siyang tao.
C: there’s nothing to pay, diba. Kasi it’s true though, it’s simple as that.
C: Telenovela siguro.
G: Tsaka siyempre, if you’re a successful DJ, then obviously,
you will earn more than regular DJs. But if you’re an unsuccessful DJ, you’re not gonna earn as much as the other DJs.
Just like in /
D: ‘Di lang yun, kasi now there’s an emerging media…medium, internet, and anything digital. So we’re also there, the
presence is there.
G: So quad-media.
C: any other corporate job!
D: Yeah, quad-media.
G: / any job!
For those people who don’t listen to your show, can you talk
about what The Morning Rush is all about?
D: Pero one thing’s for sure. A DJ, although we work for…
kasi us, we work for 4 hours. But most DJs, work for just
3. Uhm, they get paid as if they’re working 8 hours. So it is
financially rewarding. Especially when you make it…make
it big time.
D: It’s a lot.
G: It’s a lot eh. That’s a really difficult question to answer, actually.
G: Tignan niyo yung left pocket ni ano, tignan niyo yung left
pocket ni Chico! /
D: Basically, it’s a morning radio show that entertains you in
traffic. That’s what we do.
C: Wala na tinanggal ko na!
C: Talk and music.
G: / May envelope diyan! [Laughs]
D: Talk and music, that’s how we entertain uh, in the States –
We saw you guest on Gandang Gabi Vice. Have you ever
thought of being in front of the camera?
G: Talk and music and bitchiness. / [Laughs]
D: Yeah, definitely. You know, all…all of us have done TV
stints. I mean, Gino was hosting /
D: / Yes, yes. 
G: A lot of bitchiness.
G: I’ve done a couple of Hollywood movies before [Laughs]
Feeeeelingggg! 
D: I mean, that’s kasi… what separates radio from the rest of
media is you can’t read while you’re driving a car. You can’t
watch the TV. Diba, it’s…it’s easier for you to turn on your
radio, and go through traffic, you know, if you’re a commuter
or if you have your own car. It doesn’t matter. Radio is so
portable that you can listen to it. It’s so accessible. And for
us, that’s what we do: we entertain people who are commuting. And The Morning Rush does that with portions like The
Morning Rush Top 10. So we have a topic, what used to be a
Top 10, ngayon..top, I don’t know..top 300? [Laughs]
D: / I mean, we had a show, kami ni Chico, we also had a TV
show uhm, with Karen, ‘no, on ETC.
G: Yeah, and I hosted for GMA’s Party Pilipinas.
D: Right! And then we also did ano /
G: / I was part of Magic Mike, I was dancer number 74.
[Laughs]
C: It’s true!
D: So yeah, it’s there. I mean, all media is related. Print, we’re
also on print. Uh, TV, we dabbled on TV and then..
D: But that’s what we do. We try to entertain with music, talk,
with silliness, with pictures. As long as the people listening
are entertained, /
G: Oh, tri-media.
14
G: / Kahit ano… =
D: = Kahit ano!
G: / kahit maghubad pa kami… wag… [Laughs]
How is your show different from the other morning shows?
C: Kasi we have different gimmicks, eh. If you listen… if you
listen to… not… why don’t you include all the other shows /
D: / Even AM.
C: not even morning, diba. Isama mo na yung everyone else.
Cuz obviously, you don’t wanna do a gimmick that somebody else is doing. So like, if you notice, I mean, I don’t know
about the others, pero I don’t think there’s a...another show
that would do a Top 10, because we’re doing the Top 10. So
if we know that it’s something that’s being done by another
show, obviously, we’ll stay away from it, and same with…
with other shows. You don’t wanna do something that somebody is already doing, or somebody already, quote unquote,
“owns”, diba.
D: Actually even if you did the exact same portion, what
makes a difference is the personality. /
G: / Yeah.
D: Depende sa mood! You could be listening to the two rival
stations in different times of the week, diba. Kasi on a Monday, you’d rather start with whoever.
G: Tapos Monday, positive ka, tapos Tuesday medyo masama
araw mo so dun ka sa negative na show tapos sa Wednesday
positive ka nanaman. Parang ganun.
C: Aaaaayyyy! 
G: What? I’m just saying!
D: La la la la la [Covers ears]
G: It’s like, take your own poison.
D: I didn’t say that, ah.
G: No, take your own poison, diba. Na parang, it’s like, whatever you can relate to, I’m sure that’s what you listen to. /
D: / Yeah.
G: Like, diba. Especially now.
D: Especially now, people switch to shows even within the
same uhh… like in the three hours or four hours that people
are listening.
D: Kasi these are..these are, uhh… personalities-slash-celebrities in their own right. There’s a way that they do things;
there’s a brand of humor, there’s a way of talking that’s so distinct, so people would who like that kind of personality will
go there. If you’re into the type who likes uh, a certain type of
entertainment, let’s say, news, dun ka pupunta. If you want a
little bit of the shock-jocking, you’ll go to Mo… in the morning.
G: Parang usually pag nagco-commercial, lipat ka. Maraming ganun eh. Na parang -
G: And if medyo Beki, edi samin. Medyo kikay ka. [Laughs]
D: I think, uhmm… I don’t know if I can speak for the two
pero it’s not like you’re inspired by a specific person. I think…
D: Yeah, ganun lang siya.
G: Everybody has their own shtick.
C: It’s like a… it’s like a buffet. /
D: / Ah, yon..
C: It’s just out there, tapos it’s up to the listener to get what /
G: / Whatever you want.
C: from whatever.
Who inspires you to be a better DJ among the others?
G: Definitely not si Chico [Laughs] kasi for one, he’s not cool.
[Laughs]
G: Wala ka bang inspiration? 
D: [Laughs] To be a DJ!!
G: Wala bang inspired to be a better person din? [Laughs]
D: I think for us, we just wanna do a better job than we did
yesterday. So that’s what makes us do what we do. Parang,
“Hey we did a good job today! Let’s do even better tomorrow!” Or even the pressure of just maintaining it. And then
we’re always thinking of… not naman literally, “Anong gagawin natin bukas?”, not like that. Pero we always, like, open to
the idea of doing something different kasi pag nagsawa yung
15
mga tao, lilipat yan, eh. So we also try to /
C: Hindi, hindi, kasi like, kunyari, one of the best things for
us that we really love, pag yung kunyari ang dami-daming
nagti-tweet na parang, “Oh my gosh I’m just enjoying your
show” like you have no idea…how… it /
G: / Open the idea of doing something new like sexuality
[Laughs]
D: we always, parang, try to do the job better; try to make it
more interesting.
G: / Rewarding
G: Trying to wind up yourself every time, everyday.
C: rewards you. Talagang it feels so… good. Just to have people, yung random people tapos marami, sabay-sabay nagtetext na parang, or nagti-tweet na parang, “I was just laughing my head off!” parang you feel like, “Okay, I did my job.”
So… you know, it’s a non-material thing pero it really fuels
you eh, kasi parang… parang, “Oh my gosh I’m doing a good
job” diba, for some people kasi let’s say, you’re an accountant.
There’s nothing wrong with it, pero, how do you know that
you’re doing a good job? Very, diba? /
D: So it’s not somebody else that inspires you, but /
G: / It’s more of yourself.
D: it’s yourself. Yeah.
G: It’s your inner competitiveness, I guess.
D: Tsaka specially the three of us, we’re pretty hard on ourselves. We don’t… we’re not okay with this much [hand gesture] /
G: / Yes! Nag-balance yung books ko! [Laughs] Credit-debit
win! 
G: We’re not okay with this much [mocks Del’s gesture] we
like this much!  [Laughs]
C: Most people don’t have that sort of like… even if you’re
the best accountant in the world, you will hardly hear people
go, “Oh my gosh you’re so good at accounting!” diba?
D: we just wanna do better everyday.
G: You’re an accounting rock star! 
C: Ako inspiration is I just want to not be…I want to be a
good person unlike Gino.
C: Diba? But… but with us, that’s the really nice thing, you
know, we hear people when they say nice things about the
show, so, wala… that really fuels it eh. Parang, if they loved
it, tapos the next day walang nagti-tweet parang, “Oh we did
something wrong, let’s do it again!”
[D and G laughs]
C: As corny as it may seem /
D: Actually ang daming ganyan eh /
G: / Well you’re failing!!
C: / Ang dami talaga.
C: believe it or not, it sounds parang very Miss Universe pero
it’s… it’s really the listeners.
C: parang you want… you want to give them a good show
eh, diba -
D: even as serious as… we’ve met people who say “You know,
you got me through my parents’ divorce”, “You got us through
the most difficult times in my family’s life” yung parang, “Really? The show that we do, matters to you?” And then sometimes people tweet us na parang, “Bakit…I…. I used to love
weekends, pero walang Morning Rush, eh.”
[Del and Gino sings “Miss Universe” song]
G: Kakakilig, diba? 
C: Tapos na kayo? Because I’d like to wade into the truth now.
[Laughs]
D: Parang ikaw, parang, “Wow!”
[All: Awwww ]
G: Pero at the same time, “Walanghiya kayo, pagpahingahin
niyo kami! [Laughs]
D: Wanna wade? We’ve been swimming in it!
C: I wasn’t talking about BS.
C: Hindi kasi parang, kami, we would never, like, on a weekend, no work. We would never wake up early. I mean, we’d
take that opportunity to to sleep. And then we would hear
[All laughs]
16
just to listen. Diba parang, like, “I wouldn’t do that.” [Laughs]
But you guys would so parang, wow, thank you. It’s really
nice. Minsan it sounds so “show biz” na sobra kaming pero
it’s really like, we’re serious when we say that kasi parang it’s
not one of those things that we do because we have to, kasi
parang, “oh my gosh, thank you for making it special”
C: That’s the stressful part. Kasi siyempre parang, you know,
if you do a really good show today, parang, “Oh my gosh how
do we top that?”
G: How do you at least, even, keep it on the same level?
D: Kasi look, if you’re on a radio show and nobody listen to
you, what’s the point? What’s the point of –
D: Which is why we were telling you why there’s pressure.
Kasi especially in a performance kind of show, especially
shows, whether it’s on TV, or radio, talagang, you have to…
you’re only good as your last show, it really is true. We may
have entertained people today, but if we don’t do it tomorrow, we’re one step closer to losing them. But if you do your
job well today, then you hold on to that, parang, in that sense
of pressure of the job.
C: Hey guys! Tapos isa lang yung sumagot. [Laughs] Like,
everybody say hey! Tapos like, isa lang yung, “Hey.” [Laughs]
Looking back, have you ever been pressured that no one
would listen to your show?
D: So we’re really happy when people tell us na parang, yeah,
good job! Kasi it fuels you even if you are being paid, and
technically that’s supposed to fuel you, there’s something
about being able to parang, give people what they don’t
know they need. Kasi sometimes diba you’re… specially if
you don’t listen to our show, parang, “Okay, life is life.” And
then they listen to the show and they’re like, “Where have I
been? Why…why haven’t I listened to you before? Kasi now
mornings are great!” Parang, talagang ano siya, it’s… it’s like
“Wow.”
C: All the time. From the start to now. Parang, it’s an everyday struggle eh. Kasi obviously there’s always the next day. So
hanggang there’s a next day, there’s always that pressure. Na
parang, okay if you’re doing well, it’s a pressure to either keep
doing well or even better. If you’re not doing well, there’s even
bigger pressure na –
C: And sometimes like I feel so weirded out na like, kunyari, we do a… book signing. Tapos talagang so many people
went. So siyempre, like, you tend to be like effusive, you’re
like, “Oh my gosh, I can’t thank you enough!” tapos ang kulit kulit mo, like yun, on Twitter, sa blog, wherever. Parang,
“Thank you guys, thank you, thank you!” and parang feeling
mo parang, people reading it would be like, “Ang OA naman
nito.” Kasi parang, you can’t… thank you is not enough. Na
parang, even another word na parang… mas, something bigger. And it just sounds so corny pero if you can just feel how
we feel after –
[All laughs]
[D and G laughs]
G: Nako! [Laughs]
C: Si Gino kasi ungrateful eh. [Laughs]
D: Hopefully thinner. [Laughs] You don’t… in this job talaga, you almost don’t think about that. You really do it like,
everyday. Kasi we didn’t even think that last year, we had
such a great 2012. If somebody told us that our 2012 is going
to be as spectacular as it turned out, we wouldn’t believe it.
In this job, you just do it every…. Every chance you get you
do a good job. And then it propels you to better opportunity.
Like, we started last year with the book launch, and parang,
“Wow, may book.” Tapos /
G: Kasi as children we never got enough good compliments.
[Laughs] It’s true naman eh! Kaya ganito tayo eh!
C: Marami kaming issues. [Laughs]
[G whispers something to D, laughs]
D: Ang sama, ang sama.
G: Sabi ko lang medyo malayo-layo ni-look back mo. [referring to Chico]
[C laughs]
C: Pero it’s really… whether you’re doing well or not, it’s the
same pressure.
How do you see yourself 5-10 years from now?
[D and G sings “Miss Universe” song]
Now that a lot of people listen to your show, how will you
keep that audience?
G: / Tapos wow may Gino! [Laughs]
17
D: and then there was uhh… the OMG Yahoo! Awards, and
then there was the Tag Awards, and then, parang, it kept getting better and better. We, you… I don’t think anyone can
plan that. What you can do is do a good job everyday and
things start to happen to you. So we try not to play the game
of “Oh in 5 years ah” you’ll… you’ll probably get so frustrated. So just wing it. Wing it everyday and you’ll know naman
if you’re doing a good job, or if it’s time to say goodbye, so
hopefully that won’t be anytime soon.
G: Wag naman, dami pa akong babayaran. [Laughs] Nag aamortize pa ako ng bahay. [Laughs]
Laguilles
Leonida
Macasaet
Quiamco
2JRN2
18