When Malou decided to have a quick snack of chicken and pancit before proceeding to the service, we had the chance to reminisce those wonderful days when Rio was still co-hosting Eat Bulaga.
Prior to her joining this very popular noontime program, Rio was already a public figure — although still living in the shadow of her more famous sister, former Miss Universe Gloria Diaz (who, later evolved into an award-winning actress).
Actually, practically all her young life, Rio was just known as one of the Diaz siblings. A journalist sister — Aurora Diaz — in fact, was better known to the public because of her regular section in the old Expressweek. (Aurora now writes for The Philippine STAR.)
When Maria Rosario Aspillera Diaz, however, turned 17, she found the chance to finally shine on her own. Upon the encouragement of family and friends, she decided to join a beauty pageant. "But you join Mutya ng Pilipinas," Gloria told her, "because you are pandak," Gloria had a point.
Rio — at 5’3" — had better chances in Mutya ng Pilipinas because one of the titles at stake would qualify the winner to compete in Miss Asia where the candidates were not particularly tall. (This was before the pageant was expanded to include the Pacific region.)
Rio easily won Mutya ng Pilipinas-Asia and later emerged fourth runner-up in the Miss Asia Quest. From there, she was flooded with offers to host variety shows — including one for the old BBC-2.
But then, she fell in love, became a wife and mother. She, however, remained in the public eye because — with her wit — she was always good copy for magazine interviews.
In the late ’80s, she migrated to Los Angeles and the only news we heard about her was when she and her family joined the game show Family Feud. Then, in 1991, she returned to the Philippines and decided to make a showbiz comeback. Talk about right timing. Coney Reyes thought it was about time she gave up the noontime grind and recommended Rio as her replacement.
In the beginning, I — as a viewer — had my doubts about Rio being able to fit into a mass-based program like Eat Bulaga. From the time she entered the limelight in 1977, her crowd had always been A-B. But endear herself to the masses — she did on Eat Bulaga.
Off-camera, Rio also found herself well-loved by the Eat Bulaga barkada, which was important because joining the show is like a being part of a fraternity. There is a lot of brotherhood and camaraderie. (I think it’s one of the show’s secrets of success) If you don’t fit in with the rest, you won’t last long in the program.
In the case of Rio, she blended well with the other cast members and the Eat Bulaga hosts will always remember her with fondness. Some of them recall how Rio was always like a mother to all of them — cleaning up and tidying their mess especially after a meal. "She always liked neatness," volunteers Malou.
No, she didn’t bring food to the set because TAPE Production always prepares a feast for everyone — everyday. "But during meals, Rio would be the type to scoop viand for you and put it on your plate. She was like that. She always loved to serve people," adds Malou.
Rio was also a disciplined person and if Malou remembers it correctly, it was Rio who taught Christine Jacob the no-dinner-after six diet. For her meals, Rio always liked vegetables and ate only fruits in the evening.
With that kind of diet — mostly fruits and vegetables — how did she get cancer? This question I posed to Malou. She shakes her head — also wondering why. "Maybe because of the insecticide they sometimes spray in the fruits and vegetables?" — Malou tries to rationalize. We still don’t know why. Cancer is a tricky type of illness and Malou and I are not about to question the good Lord about His perfect plan for all of us.
Anyway, Malou remembers that it was really Christine Jacob who was Rio’s best friend. But during a trip to Hong Kong, Malou found herself rooming with Rio. "As usual, Rio was very neat," claims Malou.
As a host, Rio was also very professional and was always on time. And how the TV audience loved her. In late 1991, she even did a movie with Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon — the comedy film Sam & Miguel. At this point, she had already gotten out of sister Gloria’s shadow finally — thanks to her stint in Eat Bulaga.
Rio, however, had to quit the noontime show because she got married to Rep. Charlie Cojuangco and started to have more kids.
Late this year, when Eat Bulaga marks its 25th anniversary, the barkada will miss her. But she will surely be remembered as an Eat Bulaga co-host who was most beloved.