Atom says no to showbiz
Despite his good looks, Atom Araullo would rather stick to being an ABS-CBN reporter and avoid the lure of showbiz.
“Generally speaking, as a profession, hindi talaga nangyayari iyon. People like journalists as journalists, entertainers as entertainers, I guess. I’m not sure if that will change in the future. But that’s how it is now,” Atom said in a round-table interview at the ABS-CBN compound on Tuesday, August 6.
Atom, who hosts “Hiwaga” and “Umagang Kay Ganda (UKG)” and reports for various ABS-CBN news shows, said his being a journalist doesn’t allow him to be in showbiz. He has had various acting stints when he was younger, but being a journalist is Atom’s main priority.
“Hindi kasi pwede sa mga reporters. Hindi kami pwedeng mag-cross over. Meron akong mga kaibigan sa theatre, sa film, kasi I was acting when I was younger. Maraming mga interesting projects, sa totoo lang. Especially mga indie films. They talk to me if I’m interested in specific roles. Unfortunately, hindi talaga pwede.”
No to sex symbol tag
Atom feels flattered being considered one of the most handsome local reporters. But he doesn’t see himself as a sex symbol.
“Sino ba naman ang hindi matutuwa? Kung may spectrum ng cute at sexy, feeling mas doon pa ako sa kabilang side (cute). Growing up, I always felt a little awkward. So, that’s certainly something new, pero I’m not complaining.”
Atom admits he is conscious of his appearance because he appears on TV, but delivering the news remains his priority.
“We have to be conscious of how we look to a certain extent. But not so much. It’s a far second consideration. But, yes, we have to take care of our fitness at least. It’s not so much the looks, eh. Pero parang kailangan you look fit, magbibihis ka ng maayos. Ganoon lang. mabilis naman ang mga viewers eh. Mas importante sa kanila yung magaling magdeliver ng news. They get past that very quickly.”
Romance with reporter Zen Hernandez?
Although he is being romantically linked to UKG co-host Zen Hernandez, Atom dismissed rumors that they are an item.
“No. But we’re fairly close, along with our other barkada sa news,” he said.
Atom added, “Matagal ko ng kaibigan ‘yon. She’s part of the batch namin ng reporters na ka-generation. Lalo na ngayon na katrabaho ko pa sa Umagang Kay Ganda.”
As a graduate of an Applied Physics course, Atom has his own explanation of the supernatural phenomenon and paranormal events they explore in his Friday afternoon program “Hiwaga.”
“This is a higher gear. Noong nagsimula kami, karamihan sa topics namin, nasa paranormal. Now, we’re trying to discuss things that are unexplained, but more on natural phenomenon, like sleepwalking, hypnosis, kulam.”
Atom said that he has learned to “keep an open mind” while hosting the program. “Hiwaga” explores various topics on paranormal and supernatural phenomena, such as doppelgangers, hypnotism, astral projection, premonitions and spirits.
“Ako yung pinakamalaking skeptic. Kasi hindi naman ako madalas maka-pick up ng ganitong mga unusual phenomenon. Ako hindi ako nakakakita or nakakaramdam. Pero having said that, sa dami ng mga nakausap naming na may particular na karanasan, mapapaisip ka rin. At hindi mo rin pwedeng i-dismiss talaga yung ganoong klaseng paniniwala ng mga tao.”
