Known for his fearless and witty commentaries in the world of radio and television, Anthony Taberna or popularly known as “Ka Tunying” is no stranger to death threats.
And as he returns to television via his upcoming public service program entitled "Kuha All" on ALLTV starting Nov. 26, Anthony said he won't be surprised if he will receive fresh threats due to the nature of the show.
"Nagkaroon na rin ako ng mga death threats noon sa mga expose na ginawa namin sa ibang shows kaya hindi ako magugulat kung babalik uli yun," said Ka Tunying, when asked about threats to his life, during a mediacon for this new program, held at the Evia Lifestyle Center in Las Pinas City on Monday, Nov. 20.
(I have also had death threats before during the exposures we did in other shows, so I will not be surprised if it comes back again.)
Anthony added: "Occupational hazard na po natin na kapag may matutuwa sa'yo tungkol sa pinalabas po natin, may maiinis at masusuklam po sa atin."
(It's our occupational hazard that when someone is happy about what we released, someone will be annoyed and hate us.)
Having been in the broadcast industry for 30 years, Ka Tunying promised to be fair, accurate and equal in dealing with groups of people who will be featured in the weekend show.
“Doon sa mga maaaring matamaan po ng aming mga video at expose na ipapalabas, gusto po naming sabihin sa inyo na hindi po natin ilalabas ito na one-sided lamang. Gagawin po natin ang ating tungkulin na maging fair at mabigyan ng equal chance ang bawa’t isa na makasagot sa aming ipapalabas. Rest assured that we will do our best that our features are accurate at balanse para kung may sama man kayo ng loob, hindi na kami ang may problema kundi kayo na po,” he said.
(To those who may be affected by our videos and exposes that will be released, we want to tell you that we will not release it as one-sided. We will do our duty to be fair and give everyone an equal chance. Rest assured that we will do our best that our features are accurate and balanced so that if you have a grudge, it's not us who has the problem but you.)
Anthony also described the threats in social media as daring. "Ibat ibang klase po yung threat eh. Ngayon mas daring yung mga nagte-threaten sa atin lalo na social media na wala naman mga pangalan, mga peke yung mga accounts ng mga nagte-threaten sa atin, death threats, at kung ano pang threats."
(There are different types of threats. Now those who threaten us are more daring, especially on social media without names, the accounts of those who threaten us are fake, death threats, and other threats.)
Ka Tunying, 47, also said he ignores threats but just the same, he takes the necessary precautions when he goes out. He said he prays a lot for safety.
"Most of the time dini-dismiss lang po natin yun. Para sa akin kung meron man silang plano to harm you, hindi na yun magbibigay ng advance notice kung talagang totohanin.
(Most of the time we just dismiss it. For me, if they have a plan to harm you, they will not give advance notice if it is true.)
"Gaya rin ng ibang tao, nag-iingat pa rin po tayo. Ginagawa po natin ang kaukulang pag-iingat para sa akin at para sa aking pamilya nang sa gayon ay hindi tayo mabiktima ng anumang physical harm.
(Just like the others, we are taking the necessary precautions for me and my family so that we do not fall victims to any physical harm.)
"Most of all hindi po tayo umaalis ng bahay ng hindi po tayo nananalangin. May mga nagmumungkahi sa akin na kumuha raw ako ng bodyguard tilad daw ng ginagawa nung iba. Pero hindi po talaga ako mababantanyan ng kahit sino kahit na isang batalyong sundalo kung meron talagang determinado na gagawa ng masamang bagay sa akin at sa aking mga mahal sa buhay ang makapagbibigay po sa atin ng protection ay ang Panginoong Diyos na kaya tayong ipagtanggol sa mga masasama," he said.
(Most of all we don't leave the house without praying. There are people who suggest me to hire a bodyguard like what others are doing. But I can't really be protected by anyone even a battalion of soldiers if someone is really determined to do bad things to me and my loved ones. The only one who can give us protection is the Lord God who can defend us from the bad.)
On suggestion to have bullet cars or bodyguards, Ka Tunying said: "Wala po akong ganun. Mahal po 'yun. Ang tutoo po nun itong damit na pinasuot ng misis ko kabibili pa lamang niya nito. Sabi ko bakit kailangan pang bumili. Eh ang mahal mahal niyan. Kuripot po kasi ako eh."
(I don't have anything like that. It's expensive. It's true that this is the dress my wife made me wear when she just bought it. I said why do I need to buy it. It's so expensive. I'm stingy.)
Kuha All!, ALLTV’s first public service program will air nationwide every Saturday from 5-6 PM beginning Nov. 26. Kuha All! aims to be a vehicle where they can educate, entertain and serve viewers by discussing different issues and concerns captured on camera by people from all walks of life.
“I am more than grateful to start another chapter of my career with the ALLTV family because we share the same goal of sharing a different level of television experience with our Pinoy audience. Despite being in the broadcasting industry for more than half of my life, I’m still thrilled to share new stories of Pinoys that will not just keep the viewers informed but will also enlighten them and make them feel that they’re part of the stories. Kuha All! is just one of the many surprises we prepared for our audience before the year ends,” Ka Tunying revealed.
Aiming to present meaningful human interest stories affecting Pinoys across the country, Kuha All! will have three segments in each episode. Kuha Rin! highlights snippets of the latest and trending videos while Kaya All! will be the part of the show where the featured case study will be assisted through any means of support needed to resolve the issue being discussed. The show ends with Ka Tunying’s no-holds-barred commentaries about the topic at hand through the segment, Kuha Mo?.
Kuha All’s pilot episode will feature the story of the massive e-wallet scamming that happened recently in Nueva Ecija. A resident from Cabiao, Nueva Ecija posed as a promotional agent of an e-wallet company in the Philippines and scammed at least 20 store owners from different municipalities of the province.
Catch Ka Tunying and his inspiring stories in the weekly episodes of Kuha All! every Saturday at 5 PM only at ALLTV.