On January 5, broadcast journalist Jiggy Manicad recounted how he accepted the offer for the news anchor post in TV5’s Frontline Pilipinas.
During LionhearTV‘s exclusive interview with Manicad, he described the opportunity to become a news anchor in Frontline Pilipinas as an answered prayer.
“Nag-manifest siya in prayer, to be honest. So, few months ago, nagpe-pray lang ako, after communion, kasi nagse-serve ako sa Quiapo Church as lector, tapos after church nape-pray ako, sabi ko, ‘Lord, gusto mo ba ako magsalita ulit.’
“All of a sudden, may mga invitation ako ng mga talks. So Central Luzon State University, sa ANAK TV awards sa New Era University, and then kahit Family Ministry ng Quiapo Church, may invitation ako.”
He admitted that he initially refused the offer but reconsidered it after praying, citing how the Kapatid Network wanted him to be part of their team.
“Parang ang daming invite, tapos nakatanggap ako ng call from an unknown number, siya si Ryan Juego, asking me if I would want to anchor a weekend news cast for TV5, kasi maglalagay din daw sila. Sabi ko, ‘Ryan, ayaw ko na kasi matagal na akong retired eh.’ So ayaw ko, parang thank you ganon. And then bumalik siya, pinapahanap daw ako ng mga boss.
“Nagkaroon ng meeting, ang nangyari is wag na weekend, gawin ng daily primetime, so ang na-pray ko kay Lord, ‘Lord if gusto mo ito, parang I’ll follow your will, ikaw ang bahala.’ And true enough, ‘yung ibang work na ginagawa namin, like may pinasok kami na like halimbawa, work or negosyo and madali siya, ah gusto ni Lord ‘to. Ito lahat naging madali.”
He then shared some details about his negotiations with TV5’s news team.
“Prior to signing the contract, nilatag ko kung anong activities ang mayroon ako sa buhay, na parang baka ma-turn off sila. Like mayroon po akong commercial na lalabas, mayroon po akong international production na mangyayari, mayroon po akong– baka makita ninyo ako nagbebenta ng lupa, baka may issue akong lumabas. So lahat nilatag ko, sabi ni Ma’am Luchi, okay lang ‘yan.”
Manicad was formerly an anchor in GMA Network’s flagship news program, 24 Oras. However, he resigned from the network in 2018.
Now, he joins TV5’s Frontline Pilipinas as one of their newest news anchor starting this January 8, 2024.
