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>More Buzz on Abunda > >The affable founder of Backroom Inc., the agency that >manages or at the very least guides the careers of >talents as diverse as comedienne Ai-Ai de las Alas, >veejay-model Belinda Panelo, actresses Ara Mina and >Gretchen Barretto, directors Bobby Garcia and Laurice >Guillen, among a starry lot, is not shy about facing >the magic mirror. Although he hasn’t used it lately, >the mirror had become his trademark, a way of putting >his television guest of the moment on the hot seat. > >He is on the verge of laughter as the tables are >turned on him. What does he see? “A smalltown boy >having a good time in the city but who will eventually >go home a happy boy,” replies Eugenio Abunda the >Second. > >Born and raised in Borongan, Eastern Samar, he earned >the nickname “Boy,” not “Junior,” even though at heart >he felt like a girl! His father and namesake was in >the copra business and local politics. He wanted Boy >to become a lawyer, so when the younger man graduated >from high school at the Seminario de Jesus Nazareno, >he was sent to Manila where he studied business >management at the Ateneo University. > >Boy had no big ambitions of his own, although he was >already a movie fan who loved to look at fashion pages >and read magazines detailing lives in tinseltown. To >support himself while he was an undergraduate student >he went house to house selling sets of encyclopedia >and fire extinguishers. He also took odd jobs like >assistant cook and receptionist at a Japanese >restaurant. > >One job landed him in the 1970s at the Manila >Metropolitan Theater. As production assistant, he took >charge of calling actors to rehearsals. He saw to it >that costumes and props were in their proper places. >In some performances, he was a chorus boy. > >His reputation grew for being polido (polished) in his >backstage work and reached the attention of producer >Conchita “Conching” Sunico. > >Summoned to the Manila Hilton, Boy, who knew of Tita >Conching’s reputation of surrounding herself with >beautiful people, wondered what she wanted from a >plain Joe like him. She invited him to join her public >relations (PR) department. > >“ What is PR?” the Samareño asked innocently. The >grand dame answered, “I will teach you.” > >Since his job as a publicist required his presence in >Manila, he cross-enrolled at the Lyceum of the >Philippines for his accounting, math and political >science subjects. He failed to graduate, but from Tita >Conching, he said, “I learned everything about life, >especially about courage. She taught me not to be >afraid to learn, not to be afraid to commit mistakes. >I realized that if I wanted to move on in life, I >should seize the moment.” > >He left the Met and took a gamble in putting up >Backroom which did publicity for Martin Nievera, Kuh >Ledesma, Zsa Zsa Padilla and Regine Velasquez. He >would sit down with their respective managers, >dis-cuss how to package and project their proteges >whose musical careers had just taken off. After that, >it was an easy leap to his becoming a talent manager >and, later, a much-sought after talent himself. > >Boy called this development “a natural progression. >Things happened, some of which I am still doing today. >I love the business with a passion. I know it can be >tiring. It causes burnout. But I am comfortable in >this landscape.” > >While serving as a consultant at ABC Channel 5, his >executive friend moved to GMA-7 and planned a talk >show for Gretchen Barretto. Boy was asked, “Are you >interested in doing TV?” Since he was the original guy >who just couldn’t say no, a meeting was set up with >Gretchen so their rapport could be observed. He >recalled, “I blindly went along and enjoyed the >moment.” > >Gretchen did “Show and Tell” with him for a season but >dropped out when she got pregnant, leaving him to go >on with a different co-host every week until the >station settled on Anjanette Abayari. > >Boy said, “Malakas ang loob ko (I strengthened my >resolve). I am not the calculating type who worries >about what others think. I even apologized to the >audience. I told them, ‘Give me four shows, and I’ll >know what I’m doing.’ I carried my Waray accent >proudly. We were doing the show live which was good >training. I am not used to Take 2 or cuts.” > >He had no intention of making TV his career. As a >manager, he was aware that TV has a short shelf life. >He wanted to make use of his gift for gab and >convinced the producers to include the segment “Inside >Out.” His first guest was Kris Aquino. > >Those who’ve watched the two in ABS-CBN’s “The Buzz” >marvel at their ease with each other. The friendship >is for real. With Kris still estranged from older >brother Noynoy, she asked Boy to march her down the >aisle, should that wedding day ever dawn, and he >accepted. > >What does a sensible guy like him tell Kris when she >falls in love madly? > >“ Kris is a sensible girl,” Boy averred. “But we don’t >make sense when we fall in love. > >She has repeatedly said, ‘Ayaw ko ng bagets (I don’t >like young guys). I like older men.’ I say my piece, >but I am not the type who punishes a friend because >she disagrees with me. I love Kris for what she is. I >guess I shall never be able to define what makes her >happy. I have no right as a friend to dictate what’s >right and what’s wrong.” > >Few people know that these chatterboxes can stay >together in a room for hours without exchanging a >word. Their activity? Reading! While Kris goes for >bestsellers, Boy is into non-fiction and poetry, >especially by Maya Angelou. He has reread Gabriel >Garcia Marquez’ One Hundred Years of Solitude three >times “because you would not suspect it’s fiction the >way he details that novel.” > >When he prepares for on-cam interviews, he bones up on >his subject. No matter how late he arrives home, he >spends two hours reading before going to sleep. He >admires broadcaster Barbara Walters and journalist >Oriana Fallaci for their thoroughness and >fearless-ness in asking uncomfortable questions and >eliciting newsmaking confessions. > >Despite the stature he has attained, the probinsiyano >in him dies hard. He has a beachhouse in Borongan, a >resthouse in Lipa, Batangas, where he tries to be on >his day off (Monday), and is building a small bungalow >in Quezon City. He said, “I don’t want to grow old in >the city. I’ve saved and invested in real estate so I >have money to buy medicine when the time comes. The >city is not kind to old prostitutes.” > > >http://www.planetphilippines.com/archives/april1-15/cur >rent/features_current/feature3.html

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