Is Anthony Taberna mulling a political career?
MANILA, Philippines — Politics, which continues to knock on the door of broadcast journalist Anthony “Ka Tunying” Taberna, is totally out of the question for him. “Before, they were getting me to run for senator,” he said. “Now, they want me to run as Quezon City mayor. They are convincing me. But I tell them to keep me out of their plans.”
“They are very persistent in convincing me. They even go to me personally. There are many fighting to run for national positions. That can happen, why not? But it’s not in my mind. I don’t think of it. I don’t contemplate to enter politics. That’s a long shot.
“I don’t want to close the topic. I don’t want you to say I’m not truthful. I think what I’ve contributed to our country is good, with my profession as journalist and commentator.”
Wife Rossel doesn’t agree for Anthony to venture into politics. She’s not ready to become a politician’s wife. “I will just get dark if I go out campaigning for him,” she smilingly said. “It’s better for him to stay out of politics.”
“I told Anthony that if he planned to retire five years ago, I would not have allowed him. But today, I can agree to that plan… We’ve invested so much on pushing our businesses, from its day-to-day operations to studying about how to run the business. I want to stick to doing business.”
His busy schedule notwithstanding, Anthony still finds time for his personal life, which he juggles with his jobs. “What’s nice about Rossel, she is good in time management,” he said. “You will be surprised that as early as Sunday, she already has a checklist and schedule what she will do for the whole week.”
The couple has been married for 18 years and has been together for 21 years. They met on Nov. 11, 2005 in a 7-Eleven store. “If I have my own schedule, sometimes, I adjust to hers,” Anthony explained. “I monitor that so that me, her and our children will find time for ourselves.”
Rossel attested all of them have plenty of time to spare. “Sometimes, we just feel that we lack time,” she said. “But when we organize it and we stick to that, there’s plenty of time to do other things.”
After doing radio and TV during the day, Anthony works in his family’s businesses, which he runs and manages with Rossel. The couple first ventured into entrepreneurship more than a decade ago. That decision has grown into Taberna Group of Companies (TGC), a diversified Filipino-owned enterprise comprising of four distinct brands to date.
After more than a decade in food, hospitality, media and events, the Tabernas took a different approach and created their own expo to showcase their four companies.
“We took many risks all these years,” added Rossel. “This open house is also part of that and we are hoping that this will be successful, considering that many are saying a lot of businesses today are having a hard time. We continue to innovate despite others feeling the pinch.”
Anthony insisted the 250 employees working for them is a strong motivation to continue making the company afloat, saying: “We can’t be stagnant because there are people who will grow hungry. That is not an option for us.”
“When Mrs. T said we need to open our business to invite people to invest in us… next year, people can partner with us. Others start franchising and open for IPO (Initial Public Offering). This is a leap of faith for us. We are taking a small risk. Everything that starts small will eventually grow big.”
Ka Tunying has seven branches and a total of 10 business units to date.
Admittedly, Anthony also gets burned out at times. “What I’m doing is so toxic,” he said. “But that happens when we get tired or frustrated. Thankfully, I get over that. We get so polarized. We are not happy when that happens.”
“We think we are better off than our partners, but that’s not the case. We should let them fly. If we do that, they will be happy. We love them and promised them to make them happy. Then I am happy, too. I congratulate my ‘partner’ on everything she has done and what she has become. How she has evolved from way back to what she is now, she has gone a long way.”
With the theme “One Step,” the event gathered together entrepreneurs, corporate clients, industry partners and members of the media to take a peek at TGC products, services and business opportunities.
The recent open house started with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting led by Anthony and Rossel, alongside business leaders and government representatives. They were also joined by their kids.
Their eldest daughter, Zoey, is turning first-year college. After battling leukemia earlier, she is now cancer-free. She led the opening prayer in the recent “TGC for Business 2026” open house at the Metro Tent in Pasig City.
“She’s now enjoying what she previously missed out on,” said Rossel of her daughter. “My second daughter, Helga, is also helping us in the business.”
During Zoey’s 19th birthday last September, Anthony surprised his daughter by making Andres Muhlach guest in the celebration. That thrilled the young lady to the hilt and Anthony is grateful to the Muhlach couple for allowing their son to grace the party.
Meanwhile, invited guests to the open house were Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Ma. Cristina Aldeguer-Roque, Department of Tourism Undersecretary Stanley Ng and Pasig City Vice Mayor Robert “Dodot” Jaworski Jr., as well as broadcast-journalist couple Julius Babao and Tintin Bersola.
Ka Tunying’s showcased its Filipino restaurant and dining operations, signature comfort food, bakery products, corporate gifts and holiday offerings.
Kumbachero Food Corporation presented food manufacturing and supply solutions, including white-label manufacturing, toll production, bulk supply and reseller programs. Its “Create Your Own Food Brand” concept allows entrepreneurs to explore launching food products even without immediately building their own manufacturing facilities.
“Kumbachero is our kitchen, bread and pastry commissary,” said Rossel. “That initially supplies Ka Tunying’s, but today, we supply to a lot of other small cafes, convenient stores, distribution centers and we do toll manufacturing — white label, private label.
“Mrs T. Café is a sample. Even if you don’t have background in food, you can have your own café and we will supply everything you need. We have a lot of commissaries. Our commissary recently transferred to its new venue in Tandang Sora.
“Hopefully, next year, we will transfer everything to our new building. That’s more than a decade of hard work,” said Rossel.
Taste of the Town highlighted full-service catering for corporate events, weddings and other social celebrations together with gourmet customized food experiences.
Outbox Media Powerhouse Corporation is engaged in full-scale event management and production, multi-media, creative direction, artist management and interactive activations, including its Eventverse experience.
“Outbox was the first one,” Anthony shared. “Rossel was still in college, she already started Outbox. When we got married, the restaurant business started.”
The four brands illustrate how TGC can serve consumers, MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) and corporate clients through a connected ecosystem of food, supply, catering, events and creative services.
The biggest challenge though for the couple in running their companies is people management. Rossel said, “Our motto in our company is character over competence. We want to develop people, but (those who) are willing to learn.
“We (also) have to adapt to the technology. The entire system should adapt and we have to teach our people… We have to keep up. Otherwise, we’ll be left behind.
“Everybody has his own learning curve. There are those who are fast enough. There are others who take time to adapt and learn. People management is important. We use AI (artificial intelligence), not just chat GPT, in terms of system and analyzing data.
“Ka Tunying as a brand is really a big help in getting our business known,” continued Rossel.
“Today, there are many who support and patronize the products. They don’t even know that Anthony is behind the brand… (But) Anthony is still a good help in terms of the branding. We get that from the surveys that we did for our expansion. We’re heavy on data gathering.
“He said I handle the business well? He handles me well. He’s best at giving pep talk when I doubt myself. He’s very supportive. We pray together. We decide together. That’s really a big help. When we decide as a couple… there’s no turning back.”
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