Grasya Pantasya: Behind the Fantastic Voice
She knew what she wanted, and she worked for it.
A woman whose voice Filipinos from regions 1–3 would hear every morning on the radio. Her cheerful and warm voice brightening up their mornings while on the way to school, work, or even just sitting in their homes, enjoying a warm coffee and her company.
When they hear the name “Grasya Pantasya,” they automatically refer to MOR 103.1 FM’s iconic host and radio DJ. But behind that screen name and iconic voice is a woman who dreamt, fought, and succeeded, Ms. Ann Grace Dumlao-Mallare.
Ann’s journey to success wasn’t easy, but despite those road bumps and obstacles, she powered through.
Ann’s Early Life
From the moment she learned about the media, she knew what she wanted to be.
“Unlike other people, they only realize what career they want when they go to college, but for me, I already knew from the start that I wanted to be a media practitioner.”
But as sure as she was with her future career, she didn’t expect the detours she had to pass through. After graduating from high school, some circumstances put her college journey on pause for two years.
“I resented that I did not go to college on time.”
Being late to college planted fear in Ann’s dreams. She didn’t like that she would be older than her batchmates, and she thought it would be too late for her to accomplish her dreams. Despite the fear, she pushed herself to enroll in the Mass Communication program at Saint Louis University (SLU) and eventually learned that there is no such thing as too late as long as you have the courage and the passion.
She was a happy-go-lucky student in her college years, but she knew to balance her studies and youth and accomplish her obligations as a student. As she reached her final years, she decided to branch out and try new things; she chose to join SLU’s Film festival and earned the best actress award. This experience and achievement were, as she said, her proudest moment in college. This experience erased any remaining doubt and fear in her; it reassured her that she was on the right track and that the challenges she went through were worth it, for she was now doing the thing she loves.
Career Life
“I had a lot of jobs before being a DJ or host of ABS-CBN. It took me a while to get my dream job.”
After graduating from college, she steered away from the media industry and worked in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry. It was like her anxieties in college were repeating; Ann felt like she spent all that time in a career that she didn’t like, and it would be, again, too late for her dreams.
But her perseverance and passion were greater than her doubts.
She auditioned for a job as a DJ and Host for ABS CBN, one step closer to making her dream a reality. She was just the right person they were looking for as a Radio DJ, and Ann realized that the long journey and countless detours were worth it, and she made the right path in pursuing mass communication when she was in college.
Who is the Grasya Pantasya persona?
Before she was known as Grasya Pantasya, she was first just grasya, a nickname that her mother gave her. When she landed the Radio DJ position for MOR Baguio, she was then deemed as Grasya Pantasya. A screen name and persona that was meant to be flirty and malambing (sweet).
“The character that they wanted was flirty but modest, and sweet, like that!”
This served as a challenge for her; she had to act like a different person and hide her true self to be the Grasya Pantasya that her supervisors wanted her to be. However, as the days went by, she gradually revealed her actual self on radio and television.
“Eventually, because I really cannot hide my true self…it still came out”.
Finally, the radio management eventually let her natural, free and humorous personality show through. She ultimately transformed into the effervescent Grasya Pantasya, who is now loved and known by local radio listeners.
Life after ABS-CBN
“It was a great experience with ABS-CBN because I love that job…that was my dream job.”
The Philippines’s leading broadcasting network and media conglomerate was forcibly shut down after the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) had ordered the ABS-CBN Corporation to stop operations on May 5 of the year 2020. It was a gloomy day for Ann and the other 11,000 employees of the network after losing their jobs in the midst of a pandemic.
Ann experienced an epiphany that nothing is indeed permanent in this world, even the media industry. That is why she stresses the importance of being flexible and resourceful, especially in the media industry. She urges students and future media practitioners to branch out and expand their skills and experiences, so you will be ready for any uncertainties to come in the long run.
Ann reminisces her journey and realizations after her journey with ABS CBN. Despite it having played a significant role in her career, she is also grateful for the people she has met — the stories she was able to learn and tell, and the listeners who have accepted her true self will always have a place in her heart.
New Beginnings
Despite the shutdown of MOR FM’s parent company, Ann and her team proved their determination and heart for their duties to the Filipino people.
“It [RNG] is a company that they built because they knew that when you are born a journalist, you will die a journalist. They do not want to stop giving public service — giving news is public service.”
In just a short period, they got back up standing tall and are now a part of the Regional News Group Luzon, a media company established by former ABS CBN employees, aiming to empower the community through digital journalism.
DJ Grasya Pantasya continues to deliver entertainment, witty jokes, and essential information to Filipinos through her current position in the Morning Balitaktakan, an RNG Luzon Segment morning newscast.
Behind the Fantastic Voice
DJ Grasya Pantasya embodies a person of passion. It is evident that she loves what she is doing, and she is willing to do it no matter the challenges. She is also proof that there is perfect timing for everything. She faces the realities of life and hardships, but for her, the ride toward achieving one’s dreams is worth it and fun.
From a student who dreamt and experienced countless roadblocks, she is now a known personality in the media industry. Ann is both on-air and off-air, an inspiration to those around her and those with the same dreams.
Ms. Ann Grace Dumlao-Mallare isn’t just a voice from the radio; she is a woman who dreamt a life as a media practitioner and who now can proudly say that she made it.
