SECOND CHANCES MAY 11,2008

Laughing Her Way Through Life

Kannika Claudine D. Peña, Photo by: Rudy Liwanag Spending a few minutes with Rose Novenario is enough to convince anyone that this is one woman who has lots of stories to tell. Full of anecdotes and observations about everything and anything, one is bound to take a back seat in the conversation and just let her do all the talking because indeed, she has lots of interesting and admittedly funny things to say. She is the person that everyone likes being with, because her jolliness is contagious. She shares that when they have out of town coverage in her work as a reporter for Tanod, people flock to where she is. "Ginagawa nila akong payaso," she says, laughing. For someone as cheerful as she is, you would think she had it easy all her life. Perhaps it is this disposition that helped her breeze through life as a single parent for the past ten years. Mother to four children, with ages ranging from 13 to 21, and a Malacañang reporter for the past seven years, this juggling act has not been easy, but rather than seeing these as obstacles, she saw them as even bigger reasons to persevere. She did not pursue a career in journalism at first. Although she had a degree in History from the Philippine Normal University, she used to be a full time housewife. But after giving birth to her first two children, she decided, why not look for a job? Journalism was not the first thing that came to mind, as she did not have any experience in it. However, she saw it as a challenge when her friend, a reporter, suggested she become one as well. She started out with the police beat, covering robberies and holdups, among other things. She recalls one of her experiences with the police beat while pregnant with her third child. "Nung sumakit yung tiyan ko, nagko-cover pa ko,so sabi ko sa pulis, ‘Masakit na ‘yung tiyan (ko).’ So ang naghatid pa sa ‘kin pag-uwi, pulis." But Rose did not mind this at all. She already loved her job because it quenched her thirst for excitement and challenges. Her other beats included the Philippine National Police, the National Bureau of Investigation, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. After years of hard work, Rose finally became the paper’s Malacañang reporter, which she says most people consider a major feat. "Ang tining kasi pag ikaw na ‘yung Malacañang reporter, ikaw na yung pinakamagaling na reporter sa diyaryo n’yo. Ganun usually ang notion sa diyaryo. O kaya ikaw ang pinaka-senior, alin sa dalawa." From being a police reporter, now she is usually in the company of the President of the Philippines--and of other countries as well--a privilege that not a lot of reporters get the chance to have. As focused as she is on her career, she’s also determined to raise her children with values that she considers important, such as prioritizing education, loving one’s family, and loving one’s country as well. "Importante rin ‘yung mahalin ang bansa. Hindi lahat ng bata tinuturuan nang ganoon." Unlike a lot of parents nowadays, she does not encourage her children to go abroad. "Dito muna sila magtrabaho," she says. "At least two years, nang mapakinabangan muna ng mga kapwa Pilipino natin ‘yung pinag-aralan niyo, hindi dayuhan ang nakikinabang." And Rose can be quite the disciplinarian, sometimes to the point of ridiculousness. She shares that once, when her eldest son brought a girlfriend home, she hovered near them, armed with a walis tambo. "Bigla ako nagwalis nang nagwalis sa harap nila. ‘Di ko namalayan, salita ako nang salita, nagpaalam na pala, ‘di ko pa napansin. Magsimula noon, ‘di na bumalik," she says with a laugh. Up to now, her children always bring up this incident in jest. But she knows that even though she can be quite strict, at least her children know the value of finishing their studies and having a job. More than anything, she’s proud of her achievement as a mother. Rose beams as she says with pride that in their neighborhood, her children are always brought up by parents as examples to the other young people. And even though she can be quite stern with them, it is obvious to anyone who visits her home how much her children love her. In fact, they’re so close, there’s a running joke among them that no one in their family is going to get married, ever. They’re quite unconventional with their bonding moments. "Ang bonding namin, would you believe it, tulung-tulong kaming naglalaba, naglilinis, namamalengke, basta household chores." She taught her children how to perform household chores when they were still young, she says. And because of the discipline she instilled in them, now she doesn’t even have to monitor their every move. She can leave for an out-of-town coverage, and still find her home intact after a week of absence. And she takes everything in stride. Maybe she’s superhuman, or most probably, it’s her infectious positive attitude about everything. When asked about the most fulfilling thing that happened in her life, she cites her eldest son’s graduation. After having passed the licensure exam for teachers with flying colors, her son landed a job without her help. Given the opportunity to get a makeover, she said yes to it without any qualms, just as she has with everything that she has been faced with. She welcomes changes without any hesitation. The makeover was just icing on the cake, compared to the challenges that she’s gone through, and all the achievements that she’s had in her two full time careers: as a reporter, and, most importantly, a mother. Makeup by Barbi Chan Hair by Letty Lacambra Special thanks to Salon Paradiso