Charo Santos retirado na; ilang beses naiyak

I CRIED a river when Ma’am Charo Santos-Concio spoke to many of us na ginawaran ng recognition sa Crowne Plaza Hotel Ballroom the other day for staying and still working for ABS-CBN for the past many years.

Yung mga naka-5-10-15 and 25 years na sa serbisyo ang recipients. Ako ay 15 years nang loyal sa ABS-CBN and to this day I still enjoy my broadcast stint sa DZMM.

May kani-kaniyang team presentation on VTR and color theme ang bawat set of loyalty awardees – yung 5 years ay may touch of white sa damit; ang 10-year awardees ay naka-red with matching TVPlus spoof presentation ni Sarah Geronimo na napanood sa TV advertisement nito; ang 15-year awardees ay may touch of green as we did Pangako Sa ‘Yo spoof (I did Amor Powers’ acting) while ang 25-year awardees na naka-black outfit ay ginawan ng documentary of their boardwork and interviews na parang The Probe Team.

Para ngang graduation rites ang nangyari dahil isa-isa kaming tinawag onstage at kinamayan ng ABS-CBN executives headed by Sir Gabby Lopez, Ma’am Charo, Ms. Cory Vidanes, Ms. Malou Santos, Ms. Ging Reyes and many others.

Nag-perform ang ilang bagets sa The Voice Kids na pinangunahan nina Darren Espanto and Lyca Gairanod. Kyla also performed while Kim Chiu, Xian Lim, TJ Manotoc and Maxene Magalona ang hosts ng event.

Right after ng recognition, nagbalak na akong tumakas agad pero tamang-tama namang tinawag ang name ni Ma’am Charo para magbigay ng closing speech.

Oh no! She was soooooo good. Her speech was the best speech na narinig ko ever in my entire life. You can imagine naman how Ma’am Charo speaks, di ba? Malumanay, malinaw at punumpuno ng puso.

Hindi siya nagbasa ng anything as she delivered her speech – all came from her heart. Very vivid and spontaneous. Lahat inilahad niya.

She mentioned about one’s choice to work; one’s sacrifices na talagang tumbok na tumbok sa puso ng bawat isa. Tahimik ang buong ballroom sa 30 minutes na pagsasalita ni Ma’am Charo.

Ganda ng sinabi niya about being a worker – na kaysarap ma-validate ang galing mo sa work pag nakatanggap ka ng yakap, tapik sa balikat or pisil sa kamay – isang bagay na hindi na natin nararamdaman sa ilang mga boss dahil ang palagi na lang nilang nakikita ay ang pagkakamali natin.

She also humbled herself very much by saying na kaming mga kasama niya ang sandalan niya sa bawat oras ng kaniyang pagtatrabaho.

Na lahat tayo ay dumarating sa puntong napapagod na ring magtrabaho for some reasons. Na nag-iiba na ang pagkatao natin ngayon compared to before nu’ng bago pa lang tayo.

Towards the end of her speech ay ilang beses napaiyak si Ma’am Charo. After siyang abutan ng glass of water at tissue ay nagbiro ito ng, “Nakakawala ng poise.

Ha-hahahaha!” Then she continued to talk again and cried again. In totality, perfect ang speech niya. Malinaw na malinaw ang mensahe and after hearing what she all said, parang naging proud ako that I am a Kapamilya.

Ang sarap na boss kasi ni Ma’am Charo. Puwede naman pala talagang maging boss ang isang tao without shouting or making you feel you are just his subordinate.

Malambing kasi siyang magsalita pero malinaw ang mensahe. She may not be perfect pero for me she is quite the impossible, too good to be true ika nga.

Mahihiya ka to work half-baked pag siya ang boss mo dahil masipag siya and magaling. Pero hindi siya nagmumura, hindi siya naninigaw pero she will make you understand every detail ng work mo para you do the finest you can.

Nakakabilib ang ganitong boss. That’s why when she cried I cried harder. Kasi nga, nabalitaan ko that she has already retired sa service – as President and Chief Executive Officer ng ABS and very soon ay iba na ang uupo.

I can’t imagine ABS-CBN without Ma’am Charo, nakakalungkot. Siya ang pinakahinahangaan ko sa network. Grabeee! I had always been a big fan of hers – if not her biggest fan. I just love her.

Kaya I am praying that she will be happy all the way. You’re simply the BEST, Ma’am Charo. No one comes close second so far. Malayo talaga…iba talaga pag naranasan mo ang pinagsasabi mo – kasi nga, may puso.

Thanks so much sa ABS-CBN for the recognition. Don’t worry, rest assured na mas gagalingan pa namin. Basta sana ay makaramdam din kami ng yakap, tapik sa balikat or pisil sa kamay once we do good, puwede?