Grasya and Her Love Story
“Everything happens for a reason,” she believes that there will always be perfect timing, and it is God’s. Ann Grace Dumlao-Mallare, who is better known as DJ Grasya Pantasya from M.O.R 103.1 FM, was once a happy-go-lucky student who is a graduate of Saint Louis University Mass Communication.
She always wanted to be a media practitioner, and despite being two years late before she finally decided to go to college, she realized that it was the best time for her. Before, she thought that it was too late to pursue her desired profession, but throughout her journey, she was convinced that it was God’s plan.
“As broadcasting students, we were trained to talk to a lot of people for our sources, for our help because most of the time all our news sources actually come from people outside of the company…so they are your sources you have to take care of them, and you have to treat them good, you have to have this people skills, you also have to respect what they want, and you have to respect if they don’t want you talking to them.”
She remembers her college life as a training ground to equip her in the media industry. Back then, it was definitely a challenge for her to find the time for herself and for her family because of all the requirements she had to comply with. It was later that she had a wake-up call to do better when she had an opportunity to compete in a Film Festival, which was her last year as a college student. Winning the title of Best Actress was one of her remarkable experiences at that time.
M.O.R 103.1 FM was a radio station owned and operated by ABS-CBN, a Philippine media giant, but after its shutdown in May 2020, she was left unemployed. But that didn’t stop her from doing what she does best, and that is to serve the public. That is her motivation in her current job in Regional News Group Luzon, a media company formed by former ABS-CBN employees. Still, she remembers her job at ABS-CBN to be fulfilling despite being a very demanding job, a job that she really loved and cried for a lot.
“It was a great experience with ABS-CBN because you know, I love that job, that was my dream job.”
If there was one thing I could describe her while she genuinely shares her experience, I could easily tell how she is very passionate about her job at M.O.R. It was her eyes that were telling the story, but it was deeper.
“When you are born as a journalist, you will die as a journalist”
One of her biggest realization about the media industry is that nothing is permanent. It is unstable, and you cannot be certain of anything to what might happen. That is why she encourages people and aspiring media practitioners not to rely on one specific job. Back then, she was certain that they wouldn’t close because compared to this, ABS-CBN has been through a lot and survived.
In every challenge, there will always be opportunities. Ann admitted that adjusting to a new work setting that she is not used to is hard, but it offered her opportunities to be more resourceful and flexible.
Do you want to know how passionate Ann is about her job and public-serving? How she loves what she is doing? This is her message to students who are aspiring to become media practitioners in the future:
“Enjoy the journey, you are our future journalist. We rely on you too, you are our next generation. Mayroong susunod diyan na broadcaster, na host, na Dj, na writer, na advertiser, so go! KEEP IT RUNNING, your enthusiasm, your inspiration, whatever it is that makes you wake up every morning, always think of that and be successful.”
