Thursday, December 06, 2007 Mayor Zambo takes break from City Hall, guests on TV show
AFTER winning her third straight term as mayor of Toledo City, Arlene “Daydee” Espinosa-Zambo decided it was time to “do something special for myself, have a break, have fun and relax.”
Relaxing was the last thing the 38-year-old mayor ended up doing when she joined the television game show “Deal or No Deal”, which filmed a special episode in Cebu City that aired last night over ABS-CBN.
Zambo said she just tried texting months ago while watching one of the episodes. She was surprised when someone called her up and told her to go to ABS-CBN Cebu for the screening.
“Niadto na lang sad ko. (I decided I might as well go.) I don’t lose anything if I just try it,” she said.
The mayor did not get any special treatment. She also went through two examinations until the around 1,000 contenders were trimmed to 30.
Then, she also had an interview with the show’s director.
“He asked if I’m in dire need of money and I said no. I just want to experience it, for fun,” Zambo said.
With her during the taping of the episode were her father, former mayor Aurelio Espinosa, two daughters, relatives, some friends and some members of the Toledo City Council.
“Nalingaw gyud ko although naa gyud gamay ang pagmahay nga ni-deal na lang unta (I had fun, although I also regretted a bit my decision not to accept the deal). But the most important thing is the experience. I wasn’t there for the money. I went there for the experience and the fun, and it was also a break from my usual daily routine,” Zambo said.
Although the mayor wasn’t very lucky—opening the P3-million briefcase early in the first round and the P2-million briefcase in the round after that—she clearly had fun whooping it up like any other excited game show contestant and yelling, “Thank you, Lord” or, at one point, “Christmas gift, banker!”
The banker’s highest offer for Zambo, a mother of three, was P220,000. Instead of taking it, she chose to have her briefcase opened. Her prize money: P1,000. (MBG)
