After more than 25 years in the broadcasting business, news anchor Vicky Morales feels she’s being challenged every day. “Every day presents new challenges. You wake up each morning not knowing what will happen,” she shared from a previous interview. “In a way, there’s so much element of surprise in the business. You just have to constantly prepare yourself. The more experiences you have along the way, the better for you in the long run.”

One important lesson she learned from the trade is that there are always “two or more sides in the story.” She explained: “No matter how believable one person can sound, people should be given the benefit of the doubt. It’s about fairness and objectivity. For me, I try to get both sides of the story as much as possible. Sometimes, we have our own biases, but we have to put that aside.”

Every day, Vicky prepares herself before facing the camera. “It is the long-term preparation of myself. I go through my scripts then I make my corrections because I want it to be based on my speaking style,” she said.

She continuously arms herself with broad information. This means newscasters have to be very well-versed on almost anything.

Early years

Vicky first took up BS Management at the Ateneo de Manila University, then shifted to Communication in her second year. A consistent dean’s lister, she graduated in 1990 with First Honors and was nominated by the Ateneo to the 1990 RFM – Rotary Search for the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines.

Vicky’s start in broadcasting wasn’t smooth. Her professor gave her a bright recommendation for a job with ABS-CBN. She was assigned as a segment reporter but her stint didn’t last very long. She was singled out among more than 500 applicants for a newscasting job in GMA Headline News but she was taken off after three to four months. Tina Monzon-Palma, at that time head of GMA’s news section, told her frankly that she didn’t appear well-versed with the news and looked very nervous. Vicky remembered crying when she lost her first newscasting post. But she always looked back to it as a point of the challenge.

Vicky, of course, got another chance. Dong Puno took her on his then daily morning talk show called Business Today (re-launched into Good Morning Asia in 1997). Vicky co-hosted, produced reports, and wrote news for this show. In time she had honed her skills enough to make a comeback on GMA Network News, then co-hosted with Mike Enriquez. She also produced reports for Saksi. In 1997, she was sent for a month-long training program on Television News Production at New York University in the USA.

Vicky has gained self-confidence. “I’m very comfortable with myself. I feel no pressure to equate the achievements of others with mine or to even surpass their achievements. I’m happy the way I am now,” shared Vicky, who now regularly anchors for 24 Oras along with Mel Tiangco and Mike Enriquez. She’s also hosting Wish Ko Lang. She’s one of the pillars of GMA News and Public Affairs.

On integrity and public trust

Vicky shared her pieces of advice for aspiring broadcasters. “Aside from proper skills, integrity is very important because news is based heavily on public trust,” she said. “I think you should never compromise this trust. Take good care of that trust by verifying the news, you should not be paid to say what you say.”

She added the importance of attitude – aggressiveness, curiosity, energy, persistence, and drive. Teamwork is also crucial. “You have to get along well with people. News is all about a lot of people working together to deliver a good product. And last but not least is knowledge of current events. It’s a habit that you should acquire. Especially in an ambush interview, you have to think on your toes.”

She credits her parents with the value of hard work and money even though they are quite well-off. She’s blessed with blissful family life. Vicky is married to Alfonso Reyno III, a lawyer, and mother to twins Leon Alfonso and Filippo Luis, and daughter Daniela.

The broadcast business, she said, doesn’t really remunerate very well, “But if you work hard enough then it could be rewarding in other terms,” she concluded. (RUBY ASOY-LEBAJO)

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