From left: Senators Pia Cayetano, Alan Peter Cayetano, guest, and King of Talk Boy Abunda

‘CIA with BA’ hosts Senators Alan Peter and Pia Cayetano and Boy Abunda contemplated on what the public service program has been through in the past two seasons.

“Inumpisahan natin ‘tong ‘CIA with BA’ sapagkat gusto nating makatulong, gusto nating mag-give back, gusto nating magturo, gusto nating mag-share. Pero alam mo, the more na magturo tayo sa audience natin, sa guests natin, the more na tayo ang natuturuan,” Senator Alan said  in the episode on Sunday, Aug. 6.

Since it premiered on Feb. 5, 2023, ‘CIA with BA’ aired over 20 episodes tackling different issues such as relationships, rights, and money.

“Gusto ko lang malaman ng mga audience na dahil lahat ng nakita niyo ay tunay na mga tao, tunay na istorya nila at tunay na mga problema, gusto po namin lalong makatulong… buong puso po na ang ‘CIA with BA’ ay tutulong, ay matututo… matuturuan din nating makakapag-share tayo sa ating mga kababayan,” Senator Alan added.

Senator Pia noted that it takes courage for people coming into the show to share their complaints and at the same time, for them as hosts to take on them.

“Kailangan din ng lakas ng loob to share your problems in public. Minsan nakikita natin [but] we take for granted ‘di ba? If not midway, towards the end — nagbe-breakdown sila e. And kahit ako, nagbe-breakdown ako because one time sinabi ni Alan na ‘as lawyers, we have to detach ourselves and give advice unemotionally,’ [pero] gusto kong sabihin, ‘hindi, ako lagi akong emotional!’ Because so many of the problems, I can relate to as a woman, as a mother, as a human being,” she said.

Pia also shared, “It’s not always easy to detach but of course because of my training, kaya kong magbigay ng legal advice pero ang nangyari—and we all evolve—we each end up giving very personal advice that I think sometimes 75% na nung advice and even the solution is not even [just] legal but that’s what humanizes our show I think and I hope people see that and kung ‘yun naman ang naitutulong din natin, of course hindi mawawala ‘yung legal component but we’re happy to be here and we hope we can continue to serve you well, give us feedback, let us know and don’t be shy.”

Abunda, for his part, expressed how the show and the stories they hear affect them.

“It doesn’t end when we say ‘goodbye’ kasi baon-baon natin ‘yung mga kwento e, ‘di ba? Apektado ka. Nababago ‘yung iyong pananaw so it humbles us in many ways ‘pag nakikita at napapanood natin ‘yung  mga kwento, you somehow appreciate and question, and because that is a process of becoming better. So everytime we come into the show, may materials  na binabasa but you know, we do not become what we want without knowing it, in every show that you see, we become who we are,” he said.

“There’s so much work that we bring into it but the output there is for the benefit of the people na pumunta dito na ‘yun nga, nagtiwala sila—sa istorya nila na sh-in-are nila sa amin and then nagtiwala sila sa amin na ma-share namin ‘yan sa inyo. So we have to interpret it in a way that the mllions of people watching—may value ‘yon sa kanila kahit hindi ‘yon ‘yung problema nila. We try to give them the takeaway,” Senator Pia said as they ended.

'CIA with BA' continues the legacy of Senator Rene Cayetano, the late father of sibling senators Alan and Pia. The senior Cayetano was a renowned lawyer who gained fame through his radio and TV program 'Compañero y Compañera,' which aired from 1997 to 2001.

This coming Aug. 13, ‘CIA with BA’ officially enters its third season. Don't miss it every Sunday, 11:30 p.m. on GMA7.