I'VE never been a party person but recently I attended a party that I couldn't avoid. It was a get-together of a special group of people who proudly call themselves the loyalists of Inday Badiday. It was a blast from the past, an occasion for me to reconnect with that part of me I haven't visited for quite a while. Seeing all these familiar faces all over again brought back some very pleasant, poignant memories that felt like cool rain after a long, hot summer.

It was an evening of fond reminiscences. And as the night wore on, the trek down memory lane brought all of us to "See True"--to those magical moments when the show not only reported entertainment news to our loyal televiewers but also became a venue for news events that happened live in the studio.

We remembered Lorna Tolentino. She was the hottest nymphet then, and she became controversial because there was this rumor that her father, contrary to her claims that he was already dead, was still very much alive. In a cover story of Panorama Magazine, the nubile star stood pat on her pronouncement and even offered a cool one million pesos to anyone who could produce her so-called father.

I immediately dispatched my field reporters to try to find Lorna's father. It was around two in the afternoon of the day of the show itself when I got word that Amado Aluquin, Lorna's alleged father, resided in Liliw, Laguna--and was willing to appear on the show if I personally fetched him.

It was perfect timing because Lorna had already been scheduled to guest that night to promote one of the many sizzling potboilers.

So, off to Liliw, Laguna we went. It wasn't very hard convincing Mr. Aluquin to come with us. We drove back to Manila in record time and arrived at the studio some 20 minutes before airtime. There was no more time to do my hair and make-up. I just thickened my eyebrow, put a little powder on face, tied my hair in a ponytail, and was on the air in no time at all.

The reporter-panelists lost no time in asking Lorna about her father. She defiantly denied that he was still alive. It was then that I asked Mr. Aluquin to join us. The actress was flabbergasted and was speechless as she slumped her face on her arms.

Her manager Rading Carlos lost no time in grilling Mr. Aluquin, but he couldn't put a dent on the man's claim that he was Lorna Tolentino's father. The following day, the papers reported that LT had a breakdown and had to be rushed to the hospital.

A similar incident happened to another sexy star, Lala Montelibano, Dr. Rey de la Cruz's ward this time. She claimed that her biological mother was home watching, and even cheerily greeted her on the air.

We then brought out a woman claiming to be her real mom. But I had to cut the reunion-confrontation short because the two foughton the air. The mother, righteously angered by the denial from her own daughter, started revealing some very unsavory secrets about her live on nationwide television.

It was also on "See True" that Janice de Belen, who was then at the height of her career, admitted for the first time that she was pregnant and that Aga Muhlach was the father of her child. That was the interview in which the very young actress, who was much too mature for her age, made controversial statement: "God was with us when we did it." That prompted an angry rejoinder from His Eminence Jaime Cardinal Sin, who lashed out at Janice for taking the Lord's name in vain.

It was a taped interview and a lot of people strongly advised me not to air it. Even Regal's Mother Lily tried to stop the interview as she was afraid that it would severely reduce the box office chances of the Regal Films-produced Janice de Belen movie to be show that week.

But I believed only Janice could stop me from airing the tape. If she had asked me not to show the interview, I would have cancelled it. But, up to the very end, the brave expectant mom remained steadfast. And I couldn't blame her. She was just doing right by herself and, more importantly by her yet unborn child.

We now go to Kris Aquino, Ninoy's youngest and bubbliest daughter, whose irresistible gift of gab was still cute and lovable at the time. She was 14, adorable with her Boston accent and juvenile wish to become a movie star.

At the time, the election fever was on. The nation was divided. It was either you were yellow or red, white and blue. My dream was to interview Imee-Marcos Manotoc and Kris Aquino together in one "See True" episode. Imee nixed the idea but Kris was thrilled to be in what she said was one of her favorite shows.

It interviewed Kris at her mom's residence on Times st., Quezon City. We had to wait long because she was coming all the way from her mom's miting de avance in Plaza Miranda. I was afraid that she'd be too tired for the interview but my fears turned out to be unfounded. Kris had unflagging energy and her natural effervescence shone through. When I aired the interview, it became the talk of the town for weeks.

History was being written on the streets at the time. The Edsa Revolution came. The Marcoses left and Cory Aquino was swept to power. I asked for another interview with Kris. I talked with Ballsy, her sister. She said Kris didn't want another taped interview--she wanted to guest live on the show slated for that night.

I got excited because the dynamic tension of a live guesting was much more powerful than that of a taped interview. But I was also anxious because we had to discard all the plans for that evening's episode and had very little time to prepare for Kris' live guesting.

Then, an idea struck me. I decided to have as panelists on the show not the usual movie reporters but the hottest movie stars to the chore of shooting questions at Kris. We called up William Martinez, Richard Gomez, Janice de Belen, Gretchen Barretto and many others, and they all came.

Kris was scintillating on the show and captivated everyone--a lot of those at the other side of the political fence couldn't help but be enthralled by her refreshing, disarming candor and innocent, natural charm. It was the season for making history--that episode itself made history by registering 89 per cent viewership share.

I don't know if that record has already been toppled but at the time, it broke the viewership figures obtained by the classic boxing bout between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier dubbed as the "Thrilla in Manila," and by the Miss Universe beauty pageant, held for the first time in the country.

"See True" had many other magical moments, brilliant nuggets that I'd like to believe, are now part of Philippine television's treasure chest of goodies.