Magandang Gabi, Katherine

Filling the shoes of her dad, Vice President Noli de Castro, original Magandang Gabi Bayan (MGB) host, is like scaling Mt. Apo. One look at it and you know you’re in for a long, uphill climb that will tax your energy. But you do it just the same. It’s some sort of a mission, a torch passed on to you as a daughter.

And so Katherine "Kat" de Castro dutifully took over as regular anchor of the ABS-CBN show (Saturdays at 9 p.m.) on a regular basis last year, when Vice President Noli started his campaign (three to four years before that, she was already going out on field assignment as segment reporter). Today, one year into the job (although she would help out in the program before that, when her dad was out of the country), Kat has learned to take to it like a duck to water.

She ended up admiring Filipinos who became successful in Cambodia after Kat saw for herself how her kababayan stood out in various professions, especially those requiring English skills. Cambodia also has a special place in Kat’s heart since most of the war movies her father loves so much were shot there.

Kat is especially proud of public service stories she has aired on MGB, like the one on fake dollar bills, child labor in Negros and nonstop operation of illegal recruiters. The illegal recruiters story, Kat points out, even got feedback from a Pinoy based in Morocco. The guy turned out to be a victim himself.

The ultimate accolade for Kat is when someone comes up to her and says, "Thank you for letting us know about the issue." It’s music to her ears, something that makes all the late-nights, the risks and heartaches worth it.

"Now I know how hard my parents’ work is," Katherine sighs.

Husband Eric Cruz, himself a former ABS-CBN guy (he has transferred to another company), understands. But even he has to remind Kat to take it easy.

"You’re a woman, remember," he reminds her.

Kat’s dad is just as concerned. VP Noli makes sure he has Kat’s flight details and the names of the persons she’s with during a shoot.

No journalist worth his salt will just sit in the newsroom while his staff and crew are out in the field of battle. Kat does her part by joining the MGB staff on coverages. She has to know the situation first hand, so she makes sure she’s right there where the action is.

Now that she’s a mother (to one-year-old Khloe) though, Kat takes extra precautions. "Dati, sugod ng sugod. Ngayon, sugod na lang," she points out the difference.

Not all areas of coverage are open to a Vice President’s daughter, though. And delicadeza dictates that Katherine leave these areas alone.

"I cannot cover stories that have a bearing on my dad’s position," Kat qualifies. Such stories revolve on issues like impeachment and electoral protests, among others. Airing them on MGB will understandably spark off suspicions in some televiewers.

"But I make up for it in other ways," Kat hastens to add. One of them is by featuring a story on other pressing matters, like the raging dengue situation. Kat herself went to a dengue-plagued area in Metro Manila, and interviewed the residents there.

Her work also gives her more chances to bond with her dad. They read all the newspapers together in the morning. He points out stories she can explore as full-blown episodes in the program. Kat does not say yes to everything her dad suggests, though. She turns down stories that won’t look good on video. Television, after all, is a visual medium. So Kat tells the staff to forget it if they don’t have a good video to go with their stories.

She also thumbs down poorly-researched stories, those not well-documented by hard facts and video footage.

Helping Kat anchor the show are Erwin Tulfo and Henry Omaga-Diaz.

"This will put to rest speculations that Erwin is transferring to another network. Why, he even has more time for MGB these days," says Kat.

Now that the program has reached its 17th year (its pilot episode on street-children aired on Aug. 8, 1988), Kat is gearing up for more excitement ahead. She dreams of stories that will emphasize MGB’s public service portion, knowing this is just what the people need during hard times like these.

It won’t be easy. She’ll have to be tough on some members of the team who don’t have her dedication, and even tougher on herself. But she knows it’s a job her father wants her to do. And she won’t fail him.