Aspiring candidates in the 2022 elections, take note: Karen Davila will continue to ask difficult questions, even if it turns you into a meme and she gets bashed for it. It's "par for the course" in news, said the ABS-CBN veteran.
In a vlog with talent manager Ogie Diaz, Davila recalled how she was trolled for her viral interview with senatorial candidate Alma Moreno in 2015. That awkward interview spawned memes like "dasal lang talaga" at the expense of the actress-public servant.
"Para sa akin, fair play po 'yun. Kung tatakbo kang senador, e 'di 'yung mga tanong dapat masagot mo," Davila said.
There was also her 2019 interview with Sen. Manny Pacquiao, when she asked whether or not senators and presidents should be college degree holders, which highlighted the boxing champion's lack of one at that time.
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She said she also took a five-year hiatus from Facebook after getting bashed heavily for asking then presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte about his campaign promise to wage war against drugs during the 2016 debates. She received hate messages, wishing she would get raped or killed.
"I could not understand bashing then. It made me question myself. Did I do a bad job? Mali ba na tinanong ko 'yun? Mali ba na matapang ako magtanong?"
She said that lack of context, due to netizens watching just the juiciest snippets of her interviews, led people to think she was being unfair. She urged netizens to watch the whole interviews instead.
"That's the reality: ang tawag ko doon it's par for the course. Kailangan ko tanggapin. Ang ayoko lang 'yung nag-iimbento ng kuwento."
Davila almost quit media
Davila, who is a mainstay on major ABS-CBN platforms like ANC and TeleRadyo, is known for her hoarse voice, which she revealed almost made her quit broadcasting.
It was in 2013 when she was juggling hosting multiple shows across different ABS-CBN platforms, sleeping at 1 a.m. and waking up at 5 a.m., when her voice was at its worst and she struggled to talk. Her doctor told her stress and exhaustion were contributing factors.
"I really got depressed. I wanted to quit. I was so scared to go to work. There were times I would say 'Lord, I need to go to work kasi trabaho ko 'to but what will I do?"
Quarantine helped her realize there must be lifestyle changes to help her heal.
“The best time was noong nag-lockdown. 'Di ba ‘yung Bandila it went off-air, so biglang natutulog ako ng 8 p.m. , 9 p.m. I loved it nang isang taon. Ang tindi ng recovery. At na-realize ko na inabuso ko rin talaga ‘yung katawan ko," she said.
"I feel ang itinuro sa akin ng lockdown talaga, hindi lahat trabaho. Dapat balanse ang buhay mo."
