Multimedia star Toni Gonzaga Soriano breathes a happy sigh. “This is my first face-to-face press conference after the pandemic. And this is my 20th year in showbiz. Parang anniversary presscon ko na rin ito,” says Toni during a media conference to launch her TV show for ALLTV entitled “Toni” held at Coffee Project on Lopez Drive in Quezon City recently.
Toni reveals it’s a dream come true for her and her husband, director Paul Soriano, to sign up with Advanced Media Broadcasting System Channel 2, owned by the Villa Group of Companies. These days, Toni hosts a daily reality talk show simply entitled “Toni” on AllTV daily at 5 p.m.
“It’s a reality talk show which I have been doing since ‘Toni Talks’ where we interview not just celebrities but real-life stories and what people are going through. Even yung mga ordinary people na hindi naman lumalabas sa telebisyon or sa media, pero kapag kinausap mo sila, malalim din yung mga pinaghuhugutan nila or pinangagalingan nila. Mas naiintidihan mo why they are the people that they are today. It helps you to become more compassionate at hindi ka rin nagiging judgmental to others,” she says.
Following her successful stints in other broadcast networks, Toni took a leap of faith and followed her dreams in another station. She believes she made the right decision when she joined the latest broadcast network in the country.
“Normally, when you make a decision and move to a new network, or sign up a new family, maraming speculations, and monetary issues. But we also have to consider that we reach something in our life na ‘yung mga decision-making natin is not just based on what I will profit from it but where your heart is really leading you.
“Parang I was led to this major decision. I’m sure you have witnessed the events in my life which happened recently. Sometimes you were being led to something. So it’s very clear for me to take this leap of faith and take the next step of my career so naging malinaw na ang lahat.
“Kasi pagpunta ka na sa bagong chapter ng buhay mo, malinaw yung daan. Pag maraming aberya, it’s not meant for you. It was not something that I was looking for in the beginning. It was not something I wanted. But it was something that was laid out to me and I told myself, this is the next step for my career,” Toni adds.
She also points out that she does not harbor any bad feelings against someone. “No bad feelings. I choose to move forward. I’m grateful that everything happened, how it happened and why it happened because it led me to where I am today.”
There will be bashers around, but Toni also chooses not to dwell on problems and negative thoughts.
“Yung mga bagay na ganyan huwag na natin pagtuunan ng pansin. I chose not to dwell on those things. Hayaan na natin sila. Basta I made this decision, and this is one thing that I realized in life: any decision that you make, kung sinunod mo yung puso mo, you will always be led to the right path.
“So once na sinunod mo yung puso mo, yung itinuro sa’yo, pero pag sinunod mo yung decision na alam mong galing sa puso mo, you will always have peace in your heart. When you make a decision, you always have to check your heart if there is peace. That’s one thing na hindi mababayaran. When you have peace in your heart, that decision is right for you,” she adds.
Toni also shares her greatest lesson learned in life by far.
“The greatest lesson that I have learned is that when you know who you are, you will never be defined by the outside force. Kilalanin mo talaga kung sino ka dahil sa industriya natin, where a lot of people will try to define you, co-workers, the people you meet, the media, they will try to label you, all these things.
“But in the end, if you really know who you are, nobody can take that away from you. You will be complete, you will be whole. Nothing and no one can touch you. So when they accused you of something, pero pagkilalang kilala mo yung sarili mo, hindi ka maliligaw sa industry na ito,” she says.
Toni considers singer-comedian Joey de Leon as one of her mentors in the industry. She reveals learning a lot from Joey when she was just a newbie in the longest-running noontime program, “Eat Bulaga.”
“I consider Joey de Leon as my mentor. Noong naguumpisa pa lamang ako, ang sinsabi lagi ng daddy ko, kapag papasok ka sa industriya, huwag mong idolohin yung pinakasikat. Dapat ini-idolo mo yung mga pinakatumagal. Pinakamahirap yung tumagal sa industriya. Sila Vic Sotto, Joey De Leon. Bata ka pa lang napapanood mo na sila. Tapos ngayong artista ka na, andyan pa rin sila sa telebisyon. Yan ang mga dapat na inaaral mo paano magtatagal sa industriya.
“So when I was given the chance na makatrabaho ko siya sa ‘Eat Bulaga,’ lagi ko silang ino-obserbahan, kinakausap. Isa sa hindi ko makakalimutan na itinuro nila sa akin, parang ang lakas ng bagyo nun, ilang host lang kaming nakapasok kasi baha na. Tapos kinakabahan ako kasi wala yung mga ka-edad ko. Huwag kang matakot, Dapat kapag sinalang ka, kaya mong dalhin ang sarili mo. Huwag kang aasa sa kasama mo.
“To this day hindi ko pa rin nakakalimutan yun. The soonest na isalang ka sa TV at may hawak ka na microphone, wala kang aasahan kundi sarili mo. So dapat maitawid mo yung gap or yung programa mag-isa at hindi ka umaasa kahit kanino man. What a privilege to work with a legend in the industry. Ang sarap ng pakiramdam na makasama siya sa mga eksena,” Toni says.
Toni says she’s lucky to have a wonderful husband in Paul Soriano, who was appointed Presidential Adviser for Creative Communications recently.
“One of the things I truly admire and respect about Paul is his wisdom, and his visions. He taught me how to believe in myself. How to trust in myself. Yung ‘Toni Talks’ idea n’ya yun. Sabi niya ‘gumawa ka ng sarili mong show sa YouTube. Kung ano ang gusto mong gawin habang naghihintay ka ng trabaho, isipin mo na lang this is your training ground. Mag-interview ka and you’re good at it.’ He pushed me to start Toni Talks. Nag-grow na siya. Nagkaroon na ako ng sariling studio. When he showed me my earnings in dollars, sa YouTube, sabi niya it can build a studio. Then the opportunity from AllTV came. We pitched for it. And we’re so grateful that they were willing to absorb the show.”
Asked about her best decision ever, Toni reveals: “One of the best decisions I’ve made in my life when it comes to my career is that I never gave up on myself. Even when I was giving up on my when I was just starting, no one believed in me, and when they were turning their backs on me, I never gave up on my dreams, my self, and my faith. Not just for me, but for anyone who is listening right now. For as long as you never gave up on yourself, you continue to move forward, pursue your dreams, continue to do what you are called to do, you continue to make your soul and spirit alive. Hindi ka mag-gi-give up.”
Source: Manila Bulletin (https://mb.com.ph/2022/10/25/toni-gonzaga-soriano-the-lessons-she-has-learned/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=toni-gonzaga-soriano-the-lessons-she-has-learned)
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