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Buddy Tan : 1945 - 1999

Last November, we attended the 40th anniversary of the Kanlaon Broacasting System. I was supposed to give a speech about my dad, but didn't get to do so. Today is my dad's 11th death anniversary. I upload this speech today in memory of him


Good evening KBS!

How many people here worked with my dad?

How many people here got yelled at by my dad?

How many people here were in the path of deadly flying objects thrown by my dad?

We apologize for that.

You had it easy.

My dad yelled at me and he didn’t just throw stuff at me, he threw me.

He got so angry that one time that he picked me up and threw me towards the bed. So, there was brief moment when it was thrilling – I’M FLYING—and it was quickly replaced by terror as I came crashing on the bed.

I remember one time he got really mad and my mom got really mad that he got mad and my dad said, you know I’m not really mad at them. I just want to keep them on their toes.

Earliest memories of KBS

My dad’s office had a long conference table and I remember being made to sit at the center of that table

There was a projector in the back and that’s where I’d watch Wonder Woman

And I’d only be interested in the opening credits because it looked like cartoons

Or I’d only be interested whenever Linda Carter transformed into Wonder Woman

One of my mom’s favorite stories was how my yaya lost sight of me, because she was flirting with one of the staff, and I ended up somewhere up in the lights on the ceiling -- I don’t remember any of that.

I do remember having the a huge crush on my dad’s secretary. Like father, like son, yes? (My mom was my dad's secretary. That's how they met and fell in love.)

Aside from that, I don’t have much memories about KBS.

What I do remember are the shows.

It’s sad how some history books just say, “KBS Channel 9 and BBC Channel 2—mainly aired government propaganda.”

How can any label Sesame Street as government propaganda? Thank God for Sesame Street that we have a generation of Pinoys who speak good English. And what happened when they removed English programming from prime time – we now have a generation of Pinoys struggling to learn English just to get into a call center.

Aside from the programming, my dad pushed the envelope of TV technology. My mom had told me of how he designed KBS’s first OB van using available hardware, about how the Japanese technicians of Sony came over and were amazed with what he had done.

His Passion

One of my mom’s favorite stories about my dad is how he turned down the opportunity to bring in McDonald’s to the Philippines. How Ernie Valle came into his room, all excited because he had a contact for the McDonald’s franchise. And my dad just said, “Who’s going to buy burgers?”

But I have a strange feeling that even if my dad bought the McDonald’s franchise, it might have just flopped in his hands. Because running a restaurant was not his passion. Running a TV station, running a network – that’s what he always wanted to do. Ever since he was a kid. He talked about how, when he was still in high school, he already had a job at the radio station in Bacolod and how he’d wake up early, way before the sun rose and how he’d walk for miles to get to the radio station, where he would do his board work, then walk to school, and after school, he’d walk back to the radio station because he had another program to host.

Broadcasting was his passion.

The year before he died, he drew up plans for a brand new TV network that was so huge it needed to be housed in a city. The city was going to be self-sustaining. It would have studios and satellites and a backlot where tourists and come and vist and see how TV shows and movies are produced. There would be condos and high rises where the staff and crew could stay. And back then, the piece of land that was being developed was along Libis and he was planning to call that city Eastwood City. And we were asking him, why are you going to call it Eastwood? Because it’s like the Pinoy Hollywood? Because of Client Eastwood? Later on, he settled on calling it Satellite City. Because he envisioned the Philippines to become the telecommunications hub of Asia, replacing Hong Kong and Singapore.

I look at those plans, drawn up 10 ten years ago and I realized that not even the two biggest networks have come close to that vision.

My apologies to our Kapamilya and Kapuso in the audience.

That was his passion and for better or for worse, he died trying to make his dreams come true.

George Bernard Shaw once said, “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”

That was my dad, when it came to his dream, his vision, his passion – he was the unreasonable man.

Broadcaster. Visionary. Husband. Father. Friend. Buddy.

The Legend of Kanlaon

Kan-Laon is the name of an ancient Visayan deity. During pre-Hispanic times, the deity was worshiped by the natives as their Supreme Ruler. Kan-Laon means "One Who Is the Ruler Of Time".

And for a time, Kanlaon ruled the airwaves.

And according to legend, Kanlaon had many sons and daughters who became great heroes of our land.

We are the sons and daughters of Kanlaon.

We rule the airwaves

I do hope you are proud of what you have accomplished. I’m sure my father would be proud of you.

We, who remain in the broadcasting industry, have been given the great task to report about our people, to tell the truth, to influence our country’s history. Our programs make the Filipino smile, make them laugh during the darkest of times, we give them hope.

We may have walked away from that great mountain, but we must never forget we are still the sons and daughters of Kanlaon.

We continue rule the airwaves

Comments

Jonette said…
Thank you for sharing this, Budjette. Your dad is very proud of you. :)

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