News anchor William Thio: Life does begin at 40

MANILA, Philippines - The best is just about to begin for UNTV newscaster William Thio. At 43, he’s looking fit and better than he’s ever been and his career in TV broadcasting is on a roll. He was recently promoted to news anchor and he has just received an award for his work.

Unknown to most people, William is a grandnephew of screen legend Rosa Rosal. And while the actress enjoyed a long and illustrious career in movies, she had strongly discouraged her children and grandchildren to follow in her footsteps.

“She almost had nothing nice to say about the industry in which she was a very big part of. Perhaps, along with her accomplishments, she had experienced so many disappointments. She urged us not to choose the path she had taken,” said William, who now chuckles at the fact that he had failed to heed Ms. Rosal’s advice to her younger kin.

William also dabbled in acting during his late teens. After all, he had inherited the genes of his beauteous grandaunt and attractive-looking parents. It was predestined for somebody from this “dreaded” industry to discover and groom him to be an actor.

This happened in the 1990s when William was attending college in the US. During a break from school, he flew back to Manila for a short vacation. Before long, a talent scout recruited him and offered him work as a fashion model and actor. Forgetting about Rosa’s advice, William opted to skip school for the next semester and grabbed the offers.

Barely out of his teens, William was 5’9” tall and very photogenic. He quickly learned to master the art of modeling clothes in fashion shows and magazine spreads. He also got acting jobs in a few TV shows, commercials and films, which co-starred the likes of Ruffa Gutierrez and Rosanna Roces. He seemed to show promise as he was cast in film after film. Yet, it was William himself who was his worst critic.

“I realized I didn’t have it in me to be an actor,” he said with a laugh. “When I watched myself on the screen, I cringed because I was so bad. And I wondered why my co-actors were so good. It seemed so easy and natural for them to do. It became obvious to me that they had the talent and I didn’t. So, I just walked away and went back to school.”

The acting career lasted a mere six months. There were no regrets as he wasn’t about to play by the rules of the show business game to get ahead anyway. Yet, even his studies in the US were short-lived when he had to return to attend to a family crisis. His mother, who is separated from his Indonesian father, was having major financial problems. She wasn’t well enough to get back on her feet again so he was compelled to be the family’s breadwinner. (He has one younger brother.)

Through these ups and downs, William survived as he kept his wits about him. Today, he can effortlessly recall the dramas in his life in a light and amusing way. His constantly amiable composure made him so right for his real calling: TV broadcasting. He had what it takes to be a TV personality, and he didn’t have to act. He got an offer to host a talk show.

“This was my first real job,” he said. “My grandaunt, Rosa Rosal, had been a hard-working spokesperson for UNICEF. In relation to her work with UNICEF, she was hosting this long-running show called Damayan on PTV-4. She felt that the time had come for her to retire or lighten her workload, and she asked me to pinch-hit for her and do the hosting chores. I happily accepted.”

William made his grandaunt proud and Damayan opened new doors for him. He was asked to host other shows on PTV-4 such as The Morning Show, One Morning and At Your Service, which focused on social responsibility. “I got my training at PTV. We were taught to get the story without relying too much on writers and researchers. We learned to be a one-man team — writer, researcher and reporter,” he said.

Later on, he found work as newscaster in various networks including RPN 9, ANC, GNN and UNTV. The career took a major step forward when he started at UNTV News and Rescue. Aside from delivering the news, he was given the opportunity to host his own TV show called The William Thio Show. And as the newscaster of Why News, he won the 2015 Gawad Amerika Award for Most Promising Newscaster. Just last month, he proudly received the World Class Filipino Achiever Award in the field of news and public service broadcasting.

He said all this was made possible through the support of UNTV-BMPI chairman and CEO Daniel Razon. “I’m very grateful to him for believing in me and giving me these breaks. I consider him my mentor,” he said.

“I also admire his advocacy against drugs and his ethics when it comes to broadcast journalism. His other advocacy, Tulong Muna Bago Balita, is very inspiring. It reminds us that as journalists, we shouldn’t forget that we are first and foremost human beings. Like if we’re covering a natural calamity and someone needs help or needs to be rescued, we at UNTV will help that person first before getting the story. Never mind if another network gets the scoop. It’s more important to save a life.”

William also earns a living in a completely different field, which is renovating houses. He operates a construction company that employs around 18 laborers. “My mom had a similar business. It’s why I became interested in this field. I have no background in architecture, but I work with an interior designer and I do think I have the eye for creating stylish homes,” he said.

Because he has to juggle his time handling two diverse and time-consuming careers, William to this day has remained single with no time to mingle. But he does find the time to train in boxing to keep fit and to keep the stress at bay, he’s raising several dogs at home. Dogs have been his great passion since he was 10. He’s director of the Philippine Canine Club and he’s usually present in most of the dog shows.

But since life does begin at 40, having a romance is still possible. He still does look like he could star in a romantic-comedy film. Must Love Dogs comes to mind.