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Kung si Butch Francisco ang tatanungin, hindi niya naisip na tatagal siya sa 'Startalk'. But here he is, and celebrating the 14th anniversary of the show to boo
Kung si Butch Francisco ang tatanungin, he wouldn't have bet on himself lasting a decade with 'Startalk'. But here he is, and celebrating the 14th anniversary of the show to boot! Text and Photos by Jason John S. Lim. "For the past 14 years [of Startalk], I've spent the last 10 [with them]." Iyan ang sinabi sa amin ni Butch Francisco during the show's pictorial in preparation for their 14th anniversary. Inamin sa amin ni Butch, "I didn't even think I'd last this long." Honestly, Butch tells us that Startalk was rating badly during the time he came in. "In time, dumating sina Attorney [Felipe] Gozon, I saw the culture change. Nagkaroon ng competitiveness, nagkaroon ng new equipment, nagkaroon ng raise—" Things began to change for Startalk during this time, according to Butch. "I came in [during their] fifth year, and in less than two years, nakita ko 'yung changes." Butch says he was surprised at how quickly the show adapted to the changes. Sabi nga niya, "'yung progress of Startalk to be the number one, and the longest-running, showbiz authority program, kasabay ‘yan nung pag-angat ng GMA. "’Yun ang napansin ko," he concludes. And like the network, Startalk will continue to deliver what television viewers want to see. As for anything concrete, Butch tells us na wala siyang maibibigay sa amin na actual teasers of what will happen. "Just—abangan nila every week." Butch continues, "I'll be honest about it, I cannot tell you [anything] because kami, not until sasalang na, they don't tell us [what will happen]. Talagang everything is unpredictable." The host says that he thinks it's Startalk's edge among other similar programs. "We are so unpredictable, you don't [even] know what will come out of the hosts' mouth! 'yung ganoon!" Kuwento nga sa amin ni Butch, "ako, supposedly, pinakamabait ako—pero there are times na may hirit din ako na tumatawag ang management. May nangyari nang ganoong incident, na talagang hindi na ako nakatiis—nagbitaw na talaga ako [ng salita]." Of course, Butch concedes that nowadays si Ricky Lo na ang pinakamabait sa kanila. Pero during his early years in Startalk, "compared to Rosanna Roces and Lolit Solis—ako 'yung mabait." Startalk and Butch Hindi tinatago ni Butch na nanggaling siya sa kalabang station ng GMA-7. "I spent a couple of years [there] before Startalk, [and] I'll always be grateful to [them] for giving me my big break." Pero, he tells us, "that time kasi, I didn't feel like doing [their] show. I wasn't prepared for all the intrigues and all the—I wasn't really very happy with the format, but I was very happy with the network. That much I want to emphasize." And then came the offer from GMA-7 to be part of the Startalk. "When I came here, I was happy sa network and happy ako sa show." It was, and continues to be, a win-win situation for Butch. Tuloy niya, "we don't work anymore e. Parang, pag dating mo dito—'Okay, ano 'yung mga pagkain? ano 'yung bagong chismis?' "Kung na-air lang namin one-fourth of what we talk about—my God! Magkakagulo ang mundo." With Lolit Solis, Ricky Lo and Joey de Leon, Butch says Startalk has found a great combination of hosts—not taking anything away from the host-combinations before. "We look forward to each other's company, kasi may kanya-kanyang [personality] e." Butch finishes, "everything fell into place." "We're a team." And he wouldn't have it any other way. Samahan si Butch at ang iba pang hosts ng Startalk sa kanilang pagbalik tanaw sa ilan sa mga most memorable intrigues sa show—by clicking here! Don't miss ang Seven Xclusive, Xplosive and Xtreme na mga istorya sa mundo ng showbiz ngayong Saturday, October 24, only on Startalk. And laging maging alerto sa latest chismis! Just text TXTCLUSIVES(space)ON to 4627 para sa lahat ng telcos. Each Fanatxt message costs PhP2.50 for Globe, Smart, and Talk N Text, and PhP2.00 for Sun subscribers. (This service is exclusive for the Philippines only.)