Buddy Talk with Mike Enriquez & Arnold Clavio

Sino ang radio announcers na tinututukan ng buong bayan araw-araw?

Clue: Their initials are MCE and AC.

If you can’t guess who they are, you must have been hiding in the hinterlands where there’s no “signal.”

MCE is none other than Miguel “Mike” Castro Enriquez and AC is Arnold “Igan” Clavio, hosts of dzBB’s morning program which dishes out the widely-followed “blind items” when they are not reporting the news and dissecting current issues.

My mornings are not complete without them. Mike and Arnold help make my breakfast (of oatmeal with bananas, etc.) much more palatable and I love them for that. But I hate them for keeping me home when I have to hurry out because I can’t guess who the subjects of their blind items are since they give only bits of clues, so I have to wait for more clues (initials, etc.) or the tell-tale songs (the revealing clues are there, so better be all-ears).

Mike (seated) and Arnold at the dzBB radio booth

Both are award-winners. Mike is the senior vice president of Radio of GMA Network and president of RGMA Network, Inc. (a GMA affiliate that manages the network’s provincial radio operations) and general manager of FBS Radio Network. He also hosts Imbestigador.

Arnold reports the early-morning news on the TV show Unang Hirit, and hosts Sanib Puwersa (with Mel Tiangco) and Tonight with Arnold Clavio on the GMA News Channel. 

Said Arnold, “Kami ni Mike, parehong media — me diabetes.”

They are buddy-buddies, so Funfare decided to do a “buddy talk” with them.

You are such a funny tandem, a perfect wake-upper. I like the way you poke fun at each other. Wala ba sa inyo na napipikon?

Mike: Di ba sabi nila, ang pikon talo? Actually, it’s part of our routine. Pero hindi naman pagke-Kenkoy ang ginagawa namin all the time. When we report the news, seryoso kami.

Arnold: We are like Dolphy and Panchito. Ako si Dolphy, si Mike ang Panchito. Or The Reycards. Mike is Carding (Castro, deceased) at ako si Rey (Ramirez, also deceased) siempre!

Describe your daily schedule.

Mike: Naku, toxic! I get a wake-up call from the station (radio clock alarm) at 4 o’clock every morning. I have to be out of the house by 5:30; my house is 12 minutes away — if there’s no traffic. If it rains and there’s a flood, or there’s an accident on the way, mga 30 minutes. I’m on air for my radio program 6 to 10 a.m. Then, I put on my other hat, which is as officer of the network… I run the nationwide radio business. That’s my work 24/7. By 5:30 p.m. I’m back at the studio for 24 Oras, that early because I have to review the stories of the day before I go on air. I’m home before 9 p.m. but my day is not yet ended because if I don’t have time to work out during the day, usually at lunch break, I work out at the gym and finish at around 10 p.m. Exercise (cardio) helps stabilize your blood sugar. My highest blood-sugar reading is 120 (normal is 70-110). The most beautiful days of the week for me are Saturdays and Sundays when I don’t have to work, so I don’t have to wake up early. On Fridays, I shoot for Imbestigador.

Arnold: I’ve been diabetic for six years now. When I was diagnosed, my blood sugar was 480. Among those I help through my Igan Foundation are juvenile diabetics. I’m taking three medications for my sugar.

So how is your day like, Arnold?

Arnold: Tiring but exciting. Ginigising ako ng 4:30 a.m. pero hindi kaagad ako bumabangon. I linger in bed. Anyway, I live near GMA, puwedeng lakarin. By 8 a.m., I’m on air for Unang Hirit, until 8:15. I walk to the dzBB booth and join Mike. Pag pasok ko pa lang ng booth, he would introduce me, “Narito na po ang salot.” Gandang intro, ‘no! Ang galing! Mike is off by 10 and that’s when Lala Roque (Who has replaced Ali Sotto. — RFL) joins me until 11 o’clock. Then, I would shoot for Sanib Puwersa (with Mel Tiangco) or Tonight with Arnold Clavio (both for GMA News TV). At 10 p.m., nasa Saksi na ako. I’m home before midnight.

Weekends are for the family?

Mike: Yes. We don’t have a child. My wife and I have an agreement that she doesn’t cook at home; we eat out, maybe at Starbucks and not really something grand.

Arnold: Yes, for the family. I play with my grandchild, the first and only.

Mike, is your popular line “Ehem, excuse me po!” a put-on or for real?

Mike: It’s for real. Sometimes, nasasamid talaga ako.

Mike, you should be an endorser of lozenges.

Mike: Sana. Kaya lang, walang kumukuha, eh.

How do you budget your time for work, family and yourself?

Mike: You know, one of my biggest failures in life is the fact that I have not achieved any balance. I would say that 70 percent of my time is devoted to work. It’s something that I got from my dad. Luckily, I have a supportive wife na nakakaintindi at umiintindi, lalo pa kami na no kids kaya mas malakas ang pressure sa marriage. 

Do you manage to take three square meals a day?

Mike: If I manage to take lunch at 12:30 is an exception rather than the rule, especially when I’m too engrossed in my work…unless hunger pangs start to set in.

Arnold: On time? Malabo ‘yung on time. 

No comfort food ready?

Mike: I have nuts at home, in my car and in the office. Peanuts, cashew nuts, pistachio nuts — name the nuts, mayroon ako n’un.

Arnold: Kung minsan, binibigyan ko siya ng baon kong biscuits (for diabetics) and sugar-free chocolates.

It’s a good thing you don’t get hypoglycemic when you miss meals.

Mike: I’m very religious with taking my medication, Metformin.

Do you monitor your fasting blood sugar (upon waking up)?

Mike: No, I don’t. I’m afraid of needles. But a med-tech checks on me and my wife at home every few months.

Arnold: Not regularly. The last time I did, nasa 150 ang blood sugar ko. Like Mike, I exercise, usually golf and walking. I also play basketball with my children. At home, I have a treadmill.

How’s your diet?

Mike: My wife and I eat brown rice; the other members of the household eat white rice. My wife has a sweet tooth; she’s not diabetic. All I do is look while she pigs out on cakes and pastries. But I take sugar-free desserts, like the sugar-free gelatin and sugar-free apple pie at Mario’s Restaurant.

How much sleep do you get per night?

Mike: Five to six hours. Good enough for me but not good for my health. I dream of the day when I can slow down and turn things over to somebody capable.

Arnold: Not much. Sana eight hours? Wish ko lang! Kaya importante sa akin ang power naps which I take in the make-up room or in the car on the way to a coverage. Mike and I share a make-up room pero hindi kami nagpapang-abot because we have different schedules.

What’s your favorite hideaway?

Mike: For regional destinations, Hong Kong and Singapore. For a longer stay, Honolulu. I love the place because we can go around in shorts and sandals, and nobody will mind you.

Favorite city?

Mike: New York.

What songs are on your iPad?

Mike: All kinds. (Mike used to be an FM deejay. — RFL) Popular, classical, all kinds including those by Bruno Mars.

Arnold: Yes, I relax by listening to music. I have also taken up photography. It was Raymond Fortun who got me into it, after I interviewed him.

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