The TG Horizon eased to a quiet stop beside the glass-fronted entrance of GMA Network Center. Its headlights dimd automatically as the vehicle parked, drawing subtle attention from a few staff and passersby lingering near the security booths.
The evening sky had deepened into a dusky violet, the last streaks of sunlight glinting off the building’s mirrored façade. Caran and crew mbers milled around inside, their reflections visible from the curb. The network was buzzing, news vans lined the parking area, cables snaked across the floor, and reporters hurried between elevators with folders and earpieces.
Timothy stepped out first. His dark suit was the sa one he’d worn that morning, but he looked anything but tired. Hana followed, clutching a slim folder and her tablet as she glanced at the building’s tall glass doors.
"6:50," she said, checking her watch. "Perfect timing. We’re ten minutes early."
Timothy smiled faintly. "Early is good. I don’t want to make the anchors think we’re like the politicians."
Hana smirked. "Then let’s make sure they don’t treat you like one, either."
They walked through the revolving doors into the brightly lit lobby. The GMA logo glead above the reception desk, beside frad photos of legendary anchors and past newscasts. A young staffer in a blazer hurried over.
"Good evening, sir, ma’am! You must be from TG Motors—Mr. Guerrero and Ms. Seo?"
"Yes," Hana replied smoothly.
"Right this way, please," the staffer said, gesturing toward the elevators. "Ms. l de Leon from The Nation Tonight is already upstairs preparing. You’ll be going live at seven sharp."
As they entered the elevator, Timothy adjusted his cufflinks, his reflection catching against the chro interior. Hana noticed.
"Nervous?" she teased.
"Kind of...after all this is my first ti getting interviewed didn’t I tell you?" Timothy said.
"Yeah but rember, this is nothing compared to the eting you had been into. Just tell your story and you’ll be fine," Hana said.
"I’ll rember that," Timothy chuckled.
The elevator dinged open onto the newsroom floor. A flood of light and noise t them — bright studio lamps, chatter from producers, the sound of keyboards, and the faint echo of the music rehearsals.
A producer spotted them and waved. "Mr. Guerrero! Welco, sir! We’re honored to have you tonight."
Timothy shook the man’s hand firmly. "Thank you. It’s my first live interview, so go easy on ."
That earned a laugh from the nearby crew. Hana just smiled behind him, knowing perfectly well that Timothy could handle anything thrown his way.
They were led past the editorial area and into Studio 3, where the evening broadcast of The Nation Tonight was being prepped. Bright spotlights bead down on the sleek glass desk, where the host, l de Leon, sat reviewing her notes. The broadcast countdown tir ticked down above the cara rigs: 00:09:30.
l looked up as they entered, imdiately standing with a warm smile. "Mr. Guerrero! Finally, we et in person. You’ve been the talk of the country today."
Timothy offered a polite handshake. "Thank you, Ms. de Leon. I’ll try not to ruin your show."
She laughed. "I doubt you could. The economy already loves you right now."
As Hana helped adjust his lapel mic, Timothy glanced toward the monitors showing the news ticker. The headline scrolled in bold white text across a blue bar:
TG MOTORS IPO SURGES — PSE REBOUNDS AS INVESTOR CONFIDENCE RETURNS.
l reviewed her cue cards one last ti. "We’ll go live in eight minutes. The first segnt is your story like how you started all of this, and the second part would be about your automotive and semiconductor ventures, the third would be the IPO, then we’ll move to your future plans and comnts in the Philippines as a whole."
"Perfectly fine," Timothy replied.
The countdown hit 00:01:00.
Crew mbers scurried into position, caras panned, and the red ON AIR light blinked to life.
The studio darkened slightly except for the twin key lights on the host and guest.
"Stand by..." a producer called out.
The music cue rolled, the familiar opening the of The Nation Tonight.
l faced the cara, her voice poised and confident. "Good evening. I’m l de Leon, and this is The Nation Tonight. Our top story, the Philippine Stock Exchange makes a historic rebound after two years of decline, thanks to one company: TG Motors Philippines, a subsidiary of TG Mobility Holdings Inc. Joining us live in the studio is the man behind the nation’s most anticipated IPO, the founder and chairman, Mr. Timothy Guerrero."
Applause ca from the crew as the cara cut to Timothy. He gave a professional nod and slight smile.
"Good evening, l. Thank you for having ."
"Thank you for being here, and congratulations on today’s milestone," she began. "TG Motors’ IPO didn’t just break records, it restored sothing the public thought we’d lost: hope in our markets. How does it feel, knowing your company may have sparked the Philippines’ economic recovery?"
Timothy paused briefly before answering, his tone steady. "It feels humbling. I don’t see it as my success alone, it’s proof that the Filipino workforce can compete globally if given the right environnt."
"So how did you start this business? I was told that it requires billions of dollars to start? How did you get the funds and the technology for the cars?"
Timothy listened to the questions and contemplated for an answer. Well, he couldn’t tell them about the reconstruction system and the deal he had with NVIDIA where they bought an advanced chip for them in exchange for 20 billion dollars which he used to start the venture.
"Well it’s really hard to answer that question specifically as I still keep it a secret with but rest assured, there’s nothing illegal. Let’s just say I have a design and there is a mysterious backer who funded that."
"So you designed the TG cars?" l followed-up another question.
"Yes, I did."
"How did you do that despite being a dropout student from the University of the Philippines, chanical engineering?"
Timothy smacked his lips as he started regretting coming for an interview.
"If you put it that way even I would be so confused as to how a dropout student designed one of the most advanced cars in the world. But, of course, for proprietary purposes, I wouldn’t divulge much."
Reviews
All reviews (0)