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Kuya Kim hopes to instil value of learning among Pinoys

Unknown to many, Kim Atienza, or known to many as simply Kuya Kim, started his television career playing a not-so-familiar character.

Before becoming the resident weatherman for ABS-CBN's "TV Patrol," Kuya Kim was the voice behind Captain Mura in Ultraman and Misakey in Magma Man — both Japanese live action series popular during the 1990s.

Born as Alejandro Ilagan Atienza and the son of former Manila mayor Lito Atienza, politics runs in his blood but he admits his heart beats faster for TV hosting.

"It just so happened that my family is into politics but hosting is what I really love doing even when I was in college and I am fortunate that I am now in the news and current affairs doing what I really love," Kim says.

When the famous weatherman and inventor Ernie Baron died in 2006, Kim took on the responsibility of continuing his predecessor's practice of delivering a trivia at the end of every forecast.

"Few days before he died, he told me to take over of his works in the media, especially, informing the public in a way that they can relate to it. He said, 'Mahalin mo ang trabahong minahal ko ng buong buhay ko (Love this job that I have loved my entire life),'" Kim shares.

Kim writes his own spiels daily, preparing at least 10 trivia that he delivers from Showtime in the morning to the early evening newscast.

"I like to read and it's so easy now to really get information from the Internet. I feel that the reason why I am in television now is because I need to impart what I know in a way that the masses can relate to and appreciate it," he says, adding people would always ask him for a trivia wherever he goes.

Speaking of trivia, did you know Kuya Kim has not delivered a trivia on television more than once? That speaks of the dedication he puts into it.

Aside from being the trivia guy, he also made his mark as the adventurous host of "Matanglawin". He recalls one of his more memorable "wild encounters" when he was bitten by a bayawak or monitor lizard after which he was rushed to the hospital due to bleeding.

All his hard work paid off in the form of numerous awards "Matanglawin" has earned here and abroad.

Despite his busy schedule, Kim tries to balance time spent with his family. "If hosting is a career for me, family is definitely another separate career that I am taking care of," says the father of three kids.

He has also toned down his adventures as "Matanglawin" host after suffering from a mild stroke. In the meantime, he hopes to educate more Filipinos while inspiring his younger audience to seek information in order to learn.

"When I was a young, I needed to endure the long queues at the library just to read, I hope now children can realize that they are so fortunate that everything is on the Web. You are simply lazy if you cannot still manage to learn despite the technology."

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