RIP Ms. Amelyn

I'm grateful to God I've had the privilege of working with some of the best in media...one of those is Ms. Amelyn Veloso.  The niece of beautyqueen turned newscaster Cathy Veloso-Santillan, she shared that at a young age she knew she wanted a life in broadcasting too.  It was her calling.

Amelyn & Aya. Amelyn always joked she could pass as one of my sisters.

I first got the chance to work with her in TV5's daily noontime program Balitaang Tapat with Raffy Tulfo.  She always came in early, sometimes even earlier than the makeup artist! I could still recall the clean scent of her shampoo (I couldn't help but smell it when she had her hair blowdried while I retouched my eyeliner) & makeup brush cleansers in the dressing room. She was very particular about neatness and the products that she used.

Despite being a neat-freak, she never complained about the stuff that she had to do on-cam or the sacrifices she had to endure in the process of getting good stories and producing interesting segments. I remember she had a segment before where she had to cook awesome budget-friendly meals in challenging locations.  It was amazing how she could make it seem like a breezy ad for corned beef and noodles even without the aircon and diva lights.

Busy veteran anchors seldom have the time to talk to weather girls but Amelyn often managed to compliment me when I'm wearing something flattering or when she chanced upon one of my early morning segments. Aside from work, she freely gave advice on clothes, colors, feng shui, party planning, dieting, travelling, acupuncture, education.. basically everything under the sun.  I actually miss hanging out in the makeup room with her.

Here are the top5 things I will never forget about Amelyn:

1. MTRCB warnings

We were instructed to be careful about what we wear and how we dance (yes, dance) in some of our segments in the morning.  Our producer would usually issue a warning slip or memo whenever we do/wear something that is bordering on being obscene.  Amelyn joked about it and said: "Bakit ako pag naka plunging neckline hindi binibigyan ng memo? Sasayaw din ako next time sa segment ko parang sa Willing Willie." 

2. F and P

One of my haters online mentioned an imagined speech problem, saying I have a problem with Fs and Ps.  Amelyn thought it was so funny "Fat Pernandez faano pan mo siya?!" and we kept laughing about it.

3. Her roommate from Pampanga

Amelyn often shared snippets of her college life: from how Karen Davila's jeans have always been the object of envy of her peers to how naughty boys from the other wing of their UP dorm tried to catch her gorgeous roommate from Pampanga naked (she's from a prominent business family). Without makeup and in jeans, Amelyn actually looked like a teenager while telling these stories.

4. Banter with Sir Jing on Daybreak

She's quite careful with her image on-cam and there was this instance where she was put on the spot to talk about girls and cars. It was so funny how she hesitated for three beats and blushed after saying something with a double meaning. But everything appeared wholesome when it was Amelyn so no one really noticed.

5. Sweets in the Ref

She bakes gluten-free bread and makes almond milk. When I shifted to evening news, she gave me a cake as a farewell present.

She was really always cheerful. Until one day I noticed her skin was peeling; she sort of avoided me and focused more on work. I asked her why she had to wear a wig and why she had grey circles under her eyes; she said she just felt it was fashionable and the discolouration was just the effect of trying too many beauty products.  She never admitted to me how grave her condition was; she probably knew I would easily get upset and cry over stuff.  Everytime I got colds, she would hand me a mask and advise me to take more fluids and rest.

The last message I ever received from her was a compliment on how great I was in managing my weight & breastfeeding.

She will be sorely missed.  Angels in heaven are lucky they'll get to party with her.