Grace and Grit: The resurgence of Grasya Pantasya
A Saint Louis University alumna shares her musings on pursuing dreams, closed doors and new beginnings.
For locals, chilly Baguio mornings seem incomplete without the smell of fresh coffee and the warm voice of M.O.R 103.1 FM’s DJ Grasya Pantasya, as she greets everyone in various local dialects.
On the eve of May 5, 2020, however, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) had ordered a cease-and-desist order against ABS-CBN Corporation, parent company of M.O.R Baguio 103.1 FM and the country’s largest media conglomerate.
The next morning was eerily different. DJ Grasya Panstasya along with other notable media personalities of ABS-CBN slowly turned into screeching sounds of empty air waves on Baguio’s radios.
Almost one year after the controversial non-renewal of ABS-CBN’s 25-year broadcast franchise, the iconic voice behind Baguio’s beloved DJ Grasya Pantasya has decided to share her story of how she remained gracious in the face of life’s uncertainties.
Behind the fun and outgoing on-air persona is Ann Grace Dumlao-Mallare. Behind her resounding laughter and witty jokes on a morning show is a woman full of dreams and stories of fulfilment, rebirth, downfall and resurgence.
Fulfilment: Ann Grace in SLU Mass Comm
“Ikinatampo ko kasi na hindi ako agad pumasok sa college.”
(I regret that I did not go to college on time.)
Ann’s collegiate journey did not take an ideal path. She had to stop for two years after graduating from high school.
Ann once feared that she would be too old for college, that she would be treated as the “Ate” (older sister) of the batch. Despite being two years late, she earned the courage to enroll Mass Communication at Saint Louis University (SLU). She then realized that it was indeed “the perfect time to enter college.”
“Everything happens for a reason…You cannot say that just because your plan did not work out for you and it’s already the end of the world.”
With God’s perfect timing in her hands, Ann then lived out her notable college days as a self-confessed ‘happy-go-lucky’ student. Sooner in her Junior year, she realized that she has to push herself more because she will be graduating in just a year.
That’s when she decided to join SLU Mass Communication Society’s Film Festival. Ann will forever treasure the said contest, as she was named the Best Actress. She says that it was one brief reminder that she was doing the “right thing.”
But then, as she and many students would describe it, college is not pure fun. It also comes with a fair share of hardships.
May mga panahon na hindi ka na makaligo kasi sabay-sabay ang majors mo.
(There are times when you cannot take a bath anymore, because you will have all of your major subjects simultaneously.)
The sleepless nights taught her well and gave her major realizations. She was exposed to a reality in the media industry that one would have difficulties in making time for family and for the self.
More so, this gave her the grit that she needed in the world beyond the perimeters of SLU.
Rebirth: Ann meets Grasya Pantasya
“Nag-BPO na ako agad eh. (I worked in the BPO already)…I thought it was a long time for me to be stuck in a career that I did not like.”
After college, Ann immediately looked for employment opportunities. She went on to work in the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry. Dubious and uncertain, Ann thought that she would never be a part of the media anymore. She once again believed it was too late for her.
But then, she traced back her ultimate ambition.
“Since I was high school, I thought of becoming a journalist…It was really my dream job.”
Driven by a desire to fulfil her aspirations, she decided to audition as a radio DJ of M.O.R Baguio 103.1 FM which she eventually was granted with. Then, Ann met her renowned radio personality, DJ Grasya Pantasya.
“Grasya Pantasya was [a name] actually suggested by one of auditionees for the DJ position before…”
Because radio DJs rely so much on their voices, Ann struggled for a while to establish her style. In the first few years of her remarkable radio career, she admitted that she was once criticized by the management for being “too loud” for the Grasya Pantasya identity.
“Ang gusto nilang character ko noon ay malandi…malambing, ganon! Eventually, because I really cannot hide my true self…lumabas din siya.”
(“The character that they wanted was flirtatious and tender, like that!. Eventually, because I really cannot hide my true self, it still came out.)
Being a neophyte in the industry, her boss would call her out on several occasions not to ‘break’ the character’s demure and sensual appeal. Ann describes this as one of the toughest moments in her career.
“Alam mo, kasi kung mahal mo trabaho mo (You know, if you love your job)…you will treat it as your spouse and as your family.
Umiiyak ako kapag napapagsabihan ako. (I cry when I get scolded.)”
But as years go by, the radio executives finally let Ann’s innate free and whimsical personality shine. Finally, Ann became the bubbly Grasya Pantasya that local radio listeners came to know and love.
“Noong naging host na rin ako ng morning show…nagsabay ang morning show at ang radyo…ang flow ng buhay ay naging stagnant but not routinary. [sic]”
(“When I became a morning show host alongside the radio show, the flow of life was stagnant but not routinary.”)
More than the opportunities to earn more, Ann said that she always loved that she gets to hear different stories. Everyday, she got to interview different people, across all walks of life.
Downfall: Trembling uncertainty
“I thought, this gigantic and strong company would not be damaged by political issues. There is really nothing permanent even the media industry…it can fall down.”
ABS-CBN’s apparent shutdown on May 5, 2020, due to the non-renewal of its 25-year franchise, led to the loss of jobs for around 11,000 employees of the media giant. Ann was one of them.
“We were really relying on the promise…na magiging okay, na hindi tayo matitibag.” (…that it will be okay, that we won’t crumble.)
Ann initially refused to believe that ABS-CBN would close. She thought the company would still stand strong, even when it went through major corporate controversies and issues.
In her eyes, the company has been through a lot just to close in the middle of a global pandemic. Still, the seemingly unthinkable event in the annals of Philippine media history happened. ABS-CBN shut down all of its broadcast operations for the first time since Martial Law.
Looking forward, Ann remains forever grateful for ABS-CBN. She remembers her host and DJ stint as physically exhausting but very fulfilling.
“It was a great experience with ABS-CBN because I love that job…that was my dream job.”
For a brief moment, she wants to let Communication students and media practitioners know about the importance of ‘people skills’ and flexibility. Also, she believes that, although there is uncertainty in the media industry, there is still room for for growth and (career) development.
“Sa industriya, hangga’t maari, (In the industry, whenever possible,) don’t rely on just one specific job. You can be an anchor in this program..and you can be an executive producer of one show.”
When asked about probable career shifts, Ann said that aside from being a broadcast journalist, she wants to try to be part of the film industry given her previous stints in SLU. Further, she would love to be a doctor or a lawyer if she was given the chance to try out new professions. Thanks to Grey’s Anatomy and How to Get Away With Murder, which she binge-watches.
Resurgence: Grasya Pantasya is back on air
“When you’re used to and you’re comfortable of doing things, na kahit pumikit ka you know what to do…mahirap mag-adjust to another employer and a new industry.”
(“When you’re used to and you’re comfortable of doing things that even if you close your eyes, you’ll know what to do…it is difficult to adjust to another employer and a new industry”)
Ann is currently a part of Regional News Group (RNG) Luzon, a media company formed by former ABS-CBN employees. Heading RNG Luzon is Dobbie De Guzman who was also the former news anchor of TV Patrol Baguio.
Former segment producers, camera crew, and reporters like Myra Wallis also joined RNG Luzon.
“It [RNG] is a small company, na binuo nila kasi nga alam nila na when you’re born a journalist, you will die a journalist. Ayaw nila tumigil sa pagbigay ng public service…giving news is public service.”
(“It [RNG] is a small company that they established because they knew that when you are born a journalist, you will die a journalist. They do not want to stop giving public service…giving news is public service.”)
RNG Luzon was initially only an online platform. Briefly after two months since it was launched in December last year, the company teamed up with local television networks. To reach local TV viewers, Mountain View offered to air RNG Luzon in the Baguio-Benguet area, while Tirad Pass Cable Network covered Ilocos provinces and even Pangasinan.
Taking on a morning show with Dobbie De Guzman, Ann redeems herself yet again as DJ Grasya Pantasya of Morning Balitaktakan which is a weekday morning newscast, airing from 8:00 A.M. to 9:30 A.M.
In the face of a global pandemic and an unpredictable socio-political landscape, journalists continue to be in the forefront by providing essential goods: information. And now that DJ Grasya Pantasya is back on air, she keeps moving further by keeping locals informed and entertained with her oozing charisma and warm voice.
More than being a great broadcast journalist, Ann Grace Dumlao-Mallare has proven one thing quite constantly over the years. No matter what she went through in the past, she remains a woman of grace and grit.
