Drew continues his ‘byahe’

I think anyone can produce a travel show but not everyone can have my team.

TV host and athlete Drew Arellano may be doing a lot of things in between shooting a travel show and running marathons, but he always makes sure to spend time with his family whenever he can.

“I sleep for at least eight hours a day but I can stretch it out to nine hours if I’m with my kids because they sleep early. Yes, I get tired, but I try to extend our lives as everyone does. I try to by exercising regularly, eating healthy and getting the much-needed rest,” he said.

At his contract renewal a few weeks ago with GMA Network, Drew admitted he’d always known that being a father is what he wanted to be 10 years ago.

He shared, “Not specifically but I knew what I wanted to become, and that is to be a great father. My life revolved around that objective and how I can be one. I have to sacrifice a few things, like my work hours. I need to adjust other aspects of my life. That became my priority.”

It was at GMA 7 where he met his wife, Iya Villania. Now they are parents to two adorable kids, three-year-old Primo and one-year-old Leon. “Spend time with your kids because it’s part of their personality development. When they grow, you know that you did well raising them,” he said.

Drew was first seen in the youth-oriented show Click (2003). He became part of the longest-running morning show Unang Hirit (2004). And in 2005, he hosted QTV channel’s Balikbayan. Five years later, he further showcased his versatility in hosting with GMA Public Affairs award-winning infotainment show, AHA!.

He recalled, “We try to make it as fun as possible when it comes to teaching kids. It’s not just about the books, or ABCs, the 123s or the trivia we give out. It’s how we execute the segments to make learning fun. One segment we used to do is called ‘Walang Tatawa.’ It’s just a fun way of learning. There are so many things that were molded there that’s why it became memorable.”

In his travel show Biyahe Ni Drew which began airing in 2013, exploring islands, jumping off from the highest cliffs and eating the most exotic dishes comes as a routine.

He said, “Come to think of it for the past 14 years in every week that we’ve been doing this show, iniisip nila na hindi pa ba kayo nauubusan? We’re so lucky to have a beautiful country that there’s always something to look forward to and something to feature. Our team prioritizes traveling in our country first before traveling outside.”

AHA! and Biyahe ni Drew has been recognized by various local and international award giving bodies. “I think anyone can produce a travel show but not everyone can have my team. When you’re with them every single week, you can see that the chemistry is pretty solid and that’s also why we are very efficient with our work. Find a group of people that you’ll be happy with for 14 years and you’ll be happy for 14 years more.”

Meanwhile, Drew has been recognized as the Best Travel Show hosts at awarding ceremonies including the 2019 YAEHADEMIC Awards, 1st Philippine Tourism Awards, PMPC Star Awards for TV, Alta Media Icon Awards, UPLB Gandingan Awards and the Anak TV Makabata Awards.

“Follow what makes you happy. I’m most happy being a host, holding a microphone. Being myself for me is the most natural thing to do. When it comes to acting, hindi talaga pasok. It’s not really for me,” Drew concluded.

AHA! can be viewed on GMA 7 and Biyahe ni Drew on GMA News TV regularly.