Over the weekend, multimedia star Toni Gonzaga faced the entertainment press to talk about her latest show on ALLTV. Simply titled Toni, the talk show airs daily at 5:00 p.m.
Donning a plain mid-length white dress, she immediately greeted her audience upon arriving at the venue and proceeded to answer questions from the eager entertainment scribes.
Since the start of the election period early this year, the 38-year-old singer, host, and actress has been drawing flak for her decision to leave ABS-CBN, her mother network for almost two decades, and began joining President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s campaign sorties as main host and performer. Just recently, she was launched as the ambassador of an ecommerce platform’s October sale promo, which did not quite sit well with netizens who vowed to boycott the company.
“I think it’s normal for people to have speculations when you make big decisions or when you sign a contract. I choose not to dwell on those things_ on negativity and bashing online. Any decision that you make na sinunod mo yung desisyon ng puso, it will lead you to the right path. And it will give you peace in your heart,” she stated. “When you make the right decision, and there’s peace in your heart, that’s priceless.”
“I don’t want to dwell on anything that’s damaging or anything that’s not healthy for my soul. I choose to move forward,” she added.
Toni is also celebrating her 20th year in showbiz. Asked about the best decisions she learned from being in the industry for two decades now, the multimedia star spoke about staying true to her core despite all the challenges that confront her.
“I never gave up on myself. Even when everybody was giving up on me when I was starting, even when no one was believing in me, and everybody was turning their backs on me, I never gave up my myself, my dream, and my faith. For as long as you believe in yourself, you continue to make your soul and your spirit alive.”
Talking about her new show, she said it is a dream come true for her as it carves a milestone for her career as she also celebrates her comeback on national television.
Meanwhile, Toni was emotional during the unveiling of her own studio and new “home” which was one of her goals as one of the prominent TV hosts in the country.
“I’m so grateful, kasi ang tagal ko nang in-aspire ito, finally I have my own studio for my own show,” Toni said.
The show’s format spotlights on stories of people from all walks of life, from celebrities to content creators, to normal people, where these interviewees can share their moving stories to uplift and spread good vibes to the Filipino audience. The show aims to be more than just a talk show, it also aims to be a safe space for fellow Filipinos with fresh inspiring stories where their voices can be heard.
Toni’s pilot episode featured her best friend, Mariel Rodriguez-Padilla where during the guesting, Toni and Mariel reminisced the triumphs and hardships in their 18 years of friendship and how it strengthened throughout the years.
In the succeeding episodes, the inspiring story of the online seller, Joanalyn Palacio, and the struggles of her journey with her son with hydrocephalus were shared. They were also chosen as a beneficiary of the profit from the live selling of Toni and Marielle on September 9 as support for the medication of her son.
Toni also featured some of the biggest television and online personalities in the country for the succeeding episodes including Bayani Agbayani, Dr. Willie Ong, Ninong Ry, Dr. Vicki Belo, and her real-life sister, Alex Gonzaga.‘
ALLTV airs daily from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. with a solid lineup of entertainment and news and can be viewed through Analog and Digital Free TV using digibox or through cable channels such as Planet Cable, Cignal TV, Skycable, Cablelink; as well as in major channels in provinces across the country.
