| Unofficial Website of Ms. Janice de Belen |
| Janice and Gelli keep up with daily morning TV battle |
| Janice and Gelli keep up with daily morning TV battle Posted:0:29 AM (Manila Time) | Feb. 07, 2003 Inquirer News Service THE RIVAL morning shows pitted against GMA 7's "Sis" on the same timeslot have folded up. In an effort by ABS-CBN to gain an even footing with GMA 7, the former launched "Talk TV" with Tin-Tin Bersola, Julius Babao and Ryan Agoncillo at the same time that "Sis" premiered on morning TV. But after a year, ABS-CBN made a frantic move to dislodge "Sis" by replacing "Talk TV" with "Morning Girls," hosted by Kris Aquino, Pops Fernandez and Zsa Zsa Padilla. However, not even the formidable trio of real-life friends can topple the sister tandem of Janice and Gelli de Belen. Recently, ABS-CBN decided on a double-header for daily morning TV by bringing back Tessie Tomas in a 30-minute program, back-to-back with "Morning Girls," now hosted by Kris Aquino and Korina Sanchez. Although "Sis" is hardly complacent about the competition, the program keeps focused on the ratings as well as the moves of the rival network to rule in the ratings. Janice believes their morning program continues to keep up with the ratings because of their tandem. "With Gelli and I, there's no need to build a chemistry because we're sisters," Janice reasons out. "We can shout at each other even on-cam, but we won't feel bad about it after the show. We argue about certain things but we never get into a fight. We don't take anything personal that each of us had said." And since they're sisters, Janice and Gelli don't try to hog the limelight from each other. "I have no insecurities about her and she about me," Janice maintains. "And even if we're sisters, we don't try to meddle in each other's lives. "Gelli is just very vocal about her concern for me. She says what she feels. She will always be there to defend me, but she never meddles in my decisions." |
| To beef up competition and maintain the program's high ratings, Janice and Gelli also try to come up with better ideas for their morning show. "We've done things we never even tried before," Janice says. "Kulang na lang manganak kaming dalawa sa show." She points out, however, that both of them can no longer give birth. "Sa akin, sarado na ang canteen," Janice jests. "Kay Gelli, na-demolish na ang canteen." Janice has five children. Her eldest is Igi Boy, 15, with actor Aga Muhlach. With estranged husband John Estrada, she has four kids-Ina, Moira, Yuan and Kyla. Gelli, meanwhile, has two sons with Ariel Rivera-Joaqui and Julio. Last Monday, "Sis" came out with another exclusive by getting Gelli to interview Regine Velasquez. Thetwo, as most everyone knows, used to be rivals for the love of Ariel. It has been seven years of no communication between Gelli and Regine, but they have decided to bury the hatchet by doing that interview. Gelli admits she had second thoughts about the interview, but still relented to the proposal of her production bosses. "If I weren't happy with my life now, maybe I wouldn't have done it," Gelli grants. "The healing took a long time. But one day I woke up and I realized I was ready to forgive." Prior to the taping for the interview middle of last week, Gelli and Regine had a chance encounter last year on "Eat Bulaga." Regine, who has been reaching out to Gelli for several years, was said to have been surprised when Ariel's wife took the initiative to say hi to her. When Regine also did a concert series at Onstage last year, the production staff asked Gelli if Ariel could be a surprise guest on the show and she said yes. Yet, Gelli admits there was tension on the set while they were taping. |
| "Birthday party nga ni Janice, nate-tension ako, dun pa kaya!" Gelli says. "While others might think I did it for the ratings, they're wrong. No one can force me to do something if I'm not up to it." Janice, for her part, said there was no need for her to be on the set during the taping of the interview. "I know Gelli could very well handle it," Janice says. "Not one of us is a coward. We know how to face everything." Janice, meanwhile, denies there is someone special in her life now. "I haven't even gone out on a date alone," she insists. "Probably I just look happy, but I really am because I enjoy what I'm doing." Janice admirably juggles time between her TV work and classes at Ateneo de Manila University, where she is about to complete her freshman year as an AB Psychology major. She goes to school three times a week, but confesses that time management is never a problem to her. "I'm a multi-tasker," Janice brags. "I go to school on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. On Fridays, I have classes till 3:30 p.m., but I cope. I'm not an A-student, but I enjoy being in school again." |
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