Ah, life’s guilty pleasures: it used to be just listening to dramas on AM radio, but now even FM has its own brand of entertainment: the relationship advice program. To take your mind off all the stress at work and home — and for a chance to revel in the misery of others — Coconuts Manila rounds up the most interesting love DJs on FM and AM.
HEARTBEATS
MOR 101.9FM For Life. Mon-Fri 9pm-12am.
The fun starts at 01:38
DJ Chacha, Donnah Roxas in real life, has been around for years, slowly climbing up the career ladder to become a full-time radio show host on ABS-CBN’s FM radio. She was also nominated to FHM’s 100 Sexiest Women some months back. These days, she’s busy signing her first book, Napakasakit Ate Chacha, and promoting a song based on her saucy tagline: “mwah mwah tsup tsup.”
GUILTY PLEASURE: DJ Chacha’s jologs rendition of an air kiss may annoy you in the beginning, but you’ll get over it. You might even hear yourself doing the same and capping it with a moan. Her bedroom voice is sexy as hell (she don’t look bad in person, either) and underneath all those MTRCB-defying remarks that would probably leave our our lola and lolo flustered, lies the opinions of a wise lady.
She says one of the reasons people seek advice from female DJs like her is because women are sympathetic by nature. Most of her female callers get an unsolicited word or two about women empowerment when they ask for love advice. To a caller who feels inadequate for her bad-boy partner: “Babae ka, hindi babae lang!”
GOT PROBLEM? Get some no-nonsense advice plus an on-air flying kiss from DJ Chacha by calling +63 2 4151111 or +63 2 9242684.
TRUE LOVE CONFESSIONS AND WILD CONFESSIONS
Love Radio 90.7FM. Mon-Fri 9pm-2am.
The fun starts at 04:00.
Papa Jack (John Sulleza Gemperle) is probably the most famous love guru in the airwaves today. In fact, he was recently hailed as the Best Male DJ at the Yahoo! OMG Awards. Before he rose to fame on Love Radio as Papa Jack, he was a probinsyano from Alcala, Pangasinan, who came to Manila to study Broadcast Communication at PUP. His previous stints: car sales, call center agent, fastfood chain manager. He wasn’t an immediate success, though. His first radio program got cancelled after three months, but by 2010, he was already assigning double meanings to harmless words like escabeche and sarciado.
GUILTY PLEASURE: For some people, Papa Jack’s hard-hitting love advices can be OA. He calls his listeners bungol and tanga and is more than happy to humiliate them on air for the sake of laughter and controversy. Don’t even bother arguing your case: he’ll just stop you right there and get you to share sexy stories.
People who get lonely at night — you, me, taxi driver, yaya and security guard — are addicted to this five-hour radio show that goes past midnight, because of the shocking confessions they hear from callers. Papa Jack’s streetsmart opinions on life, love and sex can be therapeutic to even the most problematic people.
He strives to get people to see the mistakes they’ve made that led to their problem and gives them no-bullshit advice like only a real friend would. He also bases his love advices on his personal experiences (he also gives sexual advices, but let’s not go there).
Once, he told a female caller, whose boyfriends broke up with her, that the bad experience she went through would serve as a good reminder for her in the future: “A good advice comes from a bad experience.”
GOT PROBLEM? If you want a scolding and are brave enough to share your escabeche, sarciado, and other saucy ulam moments anonymously, reach for the phone and dial +63 2 8326171.
BARANGAY LOVE STORIES
Barangay LS 93.1FM. Sun 9am-11am.
The fun starts at 01:03.
Papa Dudut (Renzmark Jairuz Ricafrente) has been with WLSFM 97.1 since its previous life as Campus Radio. What sets him apart from other advice-giving DJs is his suave style reminiscent of the radio drama days from the time of your nanay and tita. His show, one of the top-ranking FM radio programs in Metro Manila, has earned him 140,000 followers on Facebook. Even former beauty queen Miriam Quiambao is an avid listener.
GUILTY PLEASURE: Remember those “Napakasakit Kuya Eddie” days where the DJ reads a letter from a listener before dishing out an advice? That’s how “Barangay Love Stories” is done. The only difference is that this is more melodramatic, with senti songs played in between paragraphs.
After 10 minutes, you’re hooked. Not only does Papa Dudut give life to letters with his cooling voice, he also gives simple, straight-from-the-heart advice.
To a letter sender whose lover mysteriously disappeared: “Kapag hindi na nagparamdam ang taong mahal mo, isa lang ang ibig sabihin no’n. Patay na ‘yon, patay na patay na sa iba.”
GOT PROBLEM? If you have a sob story worthy of airtime, go and send it to bls971@yahoo.com or call up Papa Dudut at +63 2 9243093 or _63 2 9178862.
DR. LOVE
DZMM Radyo Patrol 630AM. Mon-Fri 1pm-3pm.
The fun starts at 0:08.
The uncle of Pinoy love DJs, Bro. Jun Banaag OP hosts one of the longest-running relationship advice radio shows in the country, which he started in 1999 after returning from a hiatus in the US. Most of his advice are informed by his own life experience; he once cheated on his wife. Bro. Jun juggles his stint as a radio host with his calling as a lay and a preacher.
GUILTY PLEASURE: Although Bro Jun’s style may seem old fashioned to young listeners used to grandstanding DJs on FM radio, his soothing baritone and respectful tone is the perfect tonic to a popular culture that’s all sass and no substance.
What makes Bro. Jun a better advisor than other FM DJs is that he never pokes fun at his listeners. You’ll never hear him ask listeners about sex positions or on-air kisses, but he’ll gladly read you a Bible verse and tell you his reflections. He’s super sincere with his advice you’ll think you’re talking to your lolo instead of a DJ.
GOT PROBLEM? If you want some earnest advice, dial +63 2 416-6300.
BOYS’ NIGHT OUT
Magic 89.9FM. Mon-Thu 6pm-10pm. Also available on iTunes podcast.
The fun starts at 33:21.
Boys’ Night Out is mainly a talk and comedy radio program, but it also has segments for love advice, dished out by Slick Rick (Eric Virata), Toni Toni (Anthony James Bueno) and Sam YG (Samir Gogna). Because of its time slot, most of the listeners are on their way home from work and stuck in a traffic mess. Some advice segments they’ve had: “Dear Boys,” a parody of Joe D’Mango’s “Love Notes”; “Temple of Love,” where Guru Shivaker (played by Sam YG) gives love advice to phone callers; “The G-Spot,” where callers are given medical advice by Dr. Gia Sison; and “Life Line” which aims to help suicidal people by giving words of encouragement and advice.
GUILTY PLEASURE: Because it doesn’t rely on just one host, Boys’ Night Out offers a great mix of segments and voices. The hosts are the poster boys of bromance. Asked what bro code every men should adhere to, no matter what: “If a girl is an ex of a really good friend or barkada, ‘wag na!”
If you’re a female caller, however, be prepared for some intense flirting especially since all the boys are “single and ready to mingle.” Also, they never run out of cool guests and co-hosts, like Ramon Bautista!
GOT PROBLEM? If you’re looking to get some steamy and funny advice from Toni Toni, Slick Rick and Sam YG, ring +63 2 6310899 or +63 2 6315870 or shoot an email to boysnightout899@yahoo.com.
