LIFE STORY OF DEO MACALMA

*AS PUBLISHED IN THE MANILA TIMES


Deo Macalma: The rise of a ‘bubuwit’


BY JOEL M. SY EGCO ASSIGNMENTS EDITOR

HE was a typical working student who took odd jobs as a lowly paid janitor in a textile mill and later as a roomboy in a middling motel, among others. But his ambition, fueled by perseverance, hard work and a burning passion for writing, steered Elpidio “Deo” Macalma’s rise as one of the broadcast industry’s most respected icons.

Now Manila Broadcasting Co.-dzRH assistant vice president and assistant station manager, Macalma is best known for his satirical commentaries and his 19-year-old Espesyal na Balita, a segment that features blind items sent in by moles whom he aptly calls bubuwit (mouse). The term is his radio adaptation of the comic character, Ikabod Bubuwit, created and popularized by Nonoy Marcelo in the 1980s.

“From shame to fame” is how Macalma typifies his rise to media stardom. It was not at all a walk in the park but a long crawl from the bottom to the top of his career ladder.

Humble beginnings
“Nahihiya ako noon na sabihing ang trabaho ko eh janitor [I was ashamed then to say that I was a janitor],” recalled Macalma, who went to work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and attended class from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. He cleaned up toilet mess for three years to earn a living and support his studies.

In the mid-1970s, Macalma was taking up Business Administration at the University of the East when he thought of applying for a janitorial job at the Jewish-run United Textile Mills to make ends meet. He says that his first job was the hardest and dirtiest, literally.

“It was hard to clean toilets in a factory than, say, in a motel or a hotel. Every morning, I prayed sana hindi barado ang kubeta [that the toilets were not clogged]. That was when I developed inferiority complex,” Macalma said.

The “dirty job” eventually took its toll on him and one day he just decided to quit. From the toilets, Macalma’s zest for success landed him on the corridors of the defunct Vinta Lodge (now Victoria Court) where he worked as a roomboy. For him, the new job provided a reprieve from the ordeal of having to endure the foul smell of factory chemicals and human wastes. Plus, his new career in the motel business offered higher wages and handsome tips from patrons.

“I had an ambition. When I was a janitor, I usually sat down on my boss’ table and pretended that I was manager. My co-janitors just laughed at the thought. As a roomboy, I believed I had a greater chance to succeed. The job was quite rewarding especially because of the tips. That was the time when I decided to quit school,” Macalma said.

Though he fancied journalism in his early days in school where he actually joined several writing contests, he claimed that he was “influenced” by a friend and former classmate into taking up journalism at the Lyceum. But the young room boy’s job at Vinta Lodge was on a rotation basis, meaning he had little time for college unless he opted for promotion.

“Aside from my friend who influenced me to shift courses and transfer to Lyceum, the bell captain in the motel was also a working student.

He encouraged me to apply for a regular position so I can go to school. I did and from there I was promoted to telephone operator, then cashier. My last job in the motel was bookkeeper,” Macalma said.

Promising career
Armed with a journalism diploma, he began his search in 1980 for “greener pasture” and found an opening in what would become his home network for three decades—Radio dzRH.

Upon graduation, the young Macalma took on the job of newswriter, a position he held for years until he became newswriter/reporter and was assigned to cover events. He rose to become the network’s managing editor and assistant news director. It did not take long until he assumed the post of news director and, after that, assistant vice president and assistant station manager since 1991.

“Ever since I entered media, I have been with dzRH. I never entertained the thought of transferring to another station because I am already at home here. Sometimes I do write columns for some newspapers but that’s the all I do for them,” he explained.

As a cub reporter, Macalma remembered idolizing Rey Langit, Rod Navarro, Ric Radam, Joe Taruc, Noli de Castro and Rafeal “Paeng” Yabut. He studied their styles and later created his own. He also recalled a public relations man, Jose Ayllon, who advised him to establish his own niche in the industry and to avoid ending up as a copycat. This piece of unsolicited advice led to the birth of Macalma’s highly popular Espesyal na Balita.

Overcoming inferiority
“I used to be ashamed of my job as janitor. Slowly, my job as a room boy widened my perspectives because it was then when I got elbow-to-elbow with many friends and people in high society. There were politicians, actors and many others. However, I remained shy somehow,” the veteran newman quipped.

“Pag nagsasalita ako sa radyo, parang ang yabang-yabang ko pero sa totoo lang mahiyain ako [When I talk on radio, I think I sound arrogant but in reality I am shy],” he said.

Macalma got his biggest break in May 1991 when his boss and fellow broadcaster Rey Langit decided to join another network. He said that he was also offered a higher paying job by the rival station but his loyalty to dzRH prevailed.

“Radio Veritas was pirating broadcasters, announcers and reporters from its rivals. Rey Langit took the offer. The dzRH management talked to me but I really had no plan of leaving the station because I thought dzRH was more stable. Most of Rey’s programs were given to me including the Eveready newscasts and Espesyal na Balita, which at the time was featuring trivias. I wrote scripts for Rey but when I finally took over the program and with a little creativity, I changed the format and transformed it to become a segment for blind items,” said the soft-spoken news anchor.

“Illicit affairs of politicians, government officials and celebrities are my favorite subjects and they continue to tickle the audience up until
today,” Macalma added.

Initially, his bubuwits (informants) were former workmates—motel and
hotel room boys, waiters and security staff whom he came to know especially when he was president of a hotel labor union.

“They were my sources. My past job helped me gather blind items that I air. Then Espesyal na Balita dominated the airwaves and was even declared the No. 1 program. Modesty aside, it is the first to feature blind items on radio, then others followed,” Macalma said.

Not long after, his sources were no longer confined to motel and hotel personnel.

“Maniniwala ka ba na mga senador, congressman at Cabinet officials na ang aking mga naging bubuwit [Would you believe that senators, congressmen and Cabinet officials have become my informants]?” Macalma revealed.

Death threats, libel
As a journalist, Macalma admitted that he is not immune to harassment and threats. His most frightening moment came in the mid-1990s when men with dubious characters began gathering information about him from his neighbors.

“I was subjected to surveillance by these people. I was really afraid because they followed me everywhere and they were asking for information like what time I usually arrive home and where my children were studying. Eventually, I sought the help of the National Bureau of Investigation. It is better to be charged with libel than be killed.”

Macalma covered upheavals in the 1980s, including the historic EDSA People Power Revolution and the seven coup attempts against then President Corazon “Cory” Aquino. He also remembered when Cory called the newsroom to seek public support for the mutiny in Camp Aguinaldo against Ferdinand Marcos.

“During the 1989 coup, our mobile patrol unit was fired upon by rebel snipers. That time, there were no clear guidelines as to how reporters should report troop movements. Little did we know that airing their positions and movements would enrage the rebels. I was with Eloi Aquino when we were shot at. She was taken to the hospital. In another occasion, a sniper shot at our patrol unit, hitting a civilian on the leg,” he said.

P-H-D spells success
The small and reticent bubuwit that was Macalma has grown to become one of the country’s biggest and most eloquent media personalities. He said that he owes his success largely to his PHD principle—patience, hard work and determination. Despite the odds, Macalma persevered and proved to the world that by sheer true grit and value for education, virtually nothing would be unattainable.

“The secret formula is PHD. If you failed to set your goal, you’re heading nowhere. Your first goal should be to finish school. With a little luck and faith above, one’s goals will be achieved. I never dreamt of becoming this big because I only wished for a stable job. But because of hard work, I was given a break,” he said.

Despite the hardships and challenges he faced along the way, according to Macalma, he is fully satisfied with his career. His passion for writing has been completely realized, his expectations in the industry even surpassed by becoming who he is today.

“If asked to choose a career again, I would still go for this one. This is what I wanted,” he said.

No to politics
Prodded by some friends and provincemates, Macalma said he toyed with the idea of entering politics but later rejected it because his experiences in the media had shown him how similar politics is to the toilets he used to clean as a factory janitor.

“Here, for you to become a successful politician, you somehow need to be corrupt. Besides, a politician’s life is always under threat. It’s kill or be killed,” he explained, saying that he despises political corruption and violence.

Macalma encourages future journalists to adopt his PHD principle to succeed. A struggling and virtually unknown reporter, he said, necessarily starts from the bottom. A rookie media person, according to him, is normally the so-called lowest mammal in the world of journalism.

“Start from the bottom and be patient. Persevere. At the end of the day, your talents and skills will not go unnoticed. You will be discovered and be given due break.”

Except for the well-regarded name, today’s Deo Macalma is no different from the Deo Macalma of yesteryear. Aside from his PHD principle, the well-liked network executive and broadcast journalist embraces the virtue of humility, saying that his success offers no excuse for him to forget or deny his humble past.

“Pusong janitor pa rin ako [I am a janitor at heart],” he added.