Host Drew Arellano considers himself lucky to have a job that he really loves and be able to take care of his family at the same time.
In a recent Zoom interview, Drew relates how he and wife Iya Villania are able to successfully juggle work and parenting of their four growing kids even with him hosting two Kapuso shows, the weekly “AHA” and “Biyahe ni Drew,” now on its tenth year and Iya being the “24 Oras” showbiz news anchor.
“A lot of people think my week is really loaded with work. It’s actually not,” he confessed.
“I do ‘Biyahe ni Drew’ shoots every Wednesday and Thursday. I do ‘Aha’ either Tuesday or Friday… Most days I am home pretty much,” he added.
Iya is away from home usually three hours weeknights for “Chika Minute.”
“We are so lucky to be put in that position where we have a lot of quality time with the kids and each other,” he stated.
Last year though, Drew was away for a month in Thailand – and that has left their firstborn Primo traumatized.
“Whenever I say Papa needs to fly, automatically he’d say, ‘What, for one month again?!’” he recalled, “No, anak, just for a few days [I would tell him]. It was very hard for everybody and I think I will never do that again.”
Drew said the way he makes it up to Primo, Leon, Alana, and Astro is to be sure to be fully present when he is with them.
“For me, it’s the quality of time that you are with them. Sometimes … you are with them physically but you are not with them mentally and emotionally. So I think ‘yung bawi dyan is hiding your phone, keeping it somewhere else so that hindi mo i-che-check ‘yung phone mo, so that you are fully engaged and play with them, talking with them, just being with them for a good length of period.”
Two or three times of work a week does not mean light or easy work. Drew has been bringing viewers to thrilling destinations — that are budget friendly — for ten years now. For their tenth anniversary, “Biyahe ni Drew” presents back-to-back specials in South Korea with the first episode airing yesterday, July 2 and the second on July 9 on GTV.
The anniversary episode is made more special as Iya joins him in exploring and discovering the wonders and hidden gems of South Korea.
“We want viewers to have the chance to experience South Korea, most especially maraming Pilipino ang KPop and KDrama fans. Once we air the episode, automatic na iisipin nila na they want to experience what we have shown sa “Biyahe ni Drew” as we will give them options that will be useful when they travel,” shared Drew.
For ten years now, “Biyahe ni Drew”’ has established itself as the definitive travel magazine show on television. It has featured all the regions of the Philippines and has visited 14 countries – from Asian neighbors like Japan and Singapore, to parts of the Middle East like Jordan and Israel, to countries in Africa like Kenya, Zimbabwe and Zambia.
Aside from showcasing must-see places and featuring all sorts of things-to-do on a trip, ‘Biyahe ni Drew’ more importantly advocates for responsible travel, sustainable tourism, respect for local culture, and an appreciation for the locals and hardworking members of the tourism industry.
“I feel proud [being regarded as the “ultimate biyahero”] because it’s not just me — it’s mostly my team. It’s such an honor to host a travel show for this long, and to experience so many beautiful places, to eat so much good food, and to meet interesting people along the way. If I could do this for another 10 years, that would be awesome,” he said.
“Biyahe ni Drew” airs every Sunday, 8:15 p.m. on GTV. — (GFCT)
