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MTVAsia.com: It was stated in your bio that you were born in Utah.
Donita: That's right. My mother is Filipino -- she was a teacher -- while my father is an American working for the U.S. military. They met in Clark Air Base in the Philippines. Shortly after they got married, they moved back to America, to Utah where my father was stationed. I was born in the airforce base there.
We stayed in Utah for about five years before moving back to the Philippines. But I was still living in the U.S. bases -- that's why I have an American accent. When my father retired, my mother decided we should stay on in the Philippines and I ended up living there for about 14 years.
MTVAsia.com: Did you grow up in a traditional Filipino family?
Donita: Yes. In my family, I'm the eldest of four children. I'm 24 now, my brother is 22, my sister is 21, and we have a 15-year-old younger brother. But we also have a very large extended family, and in the Philippines, it's not uncommon to live with all your relatives. We had two houses side by side, and we would just have a feast everyday. Altogether, there were about 30 people living together -- my aunts and uncles, household help, and so on.
In June 1991, Mount Pinatubo, a volcano near the airbase, erupted. It was a traumatic experience. Everybody living near to the volcano had to be evacuated. About a year and a half before that, I had entered the entertainment world after I was discovered by a popular talent scout and was asked to join a teenage variety show. So when my family moved to Okinawa, Japan, after the volcano eruption, I decided to stay behind in Manila. When my immediate family left, the extended family became the ones to watch over me.
MTVAsia.com: How did you end up joining MTV as a VJ?
Donita: Well, I had been doing movies and television in Manila for about nine years. When I heard that there was this MTV VJ search going on, I told my manager that I really wanted to join MTV. So she called some people that she knew, and they set up an interview for me. But it just so happened that, at about the same time, the person who discovered me had asked me to do a telemovie with my then-boyfriend, and in the end I couldn't join the VJ hunt.
I was very disappointed about that, because I had already done three screen auditions and had to miss out on the actual finals. Fortunately, MTV heard of my interest in becoming a VJ, and called me about six months after the contest had happened. They ask me to come to Singapore for a week to try out and I just gave it all my best. It was in July 1998 that they officially asked me to join the channel.
MTVAsia.com: It was also mentioned in the bios that Oklahoma is also considered as your hometown...
Donita: Yeah, my father is from Oklahoma, and while my paternal grandfather had passed away last year, my grandmother is still living there, plus all my family and relatives on my father's side.
My grandmother on my mother's side has been living in San Francisco for about eight years now. And one of my brothers is studying in a college there. So if you asked me about my hometown, it's Oklahoma, San Francisco, Japan, the Philippines, and Singapore. I don't really have just one place that I can call home, which is good in a sense, because I like change.
MTVAsia.com: Now that you are in Singapore, has it been difficult to adjust?
Donita: Everyday, I thank God for bringing me here, for just giving me the chance to be on my own and to be independent. But the bad side to it is that I really miss my family. In a sense, this is like the first time I am living by myself and yes, it's peaceful...and I can be a little selfish and just think of myself.
MTVAsia.com: Since you were already quite famous in the Philippines, what are the sacrifices that you had to make to take up the job as a VJ?
Donita: I wouldn't call it sacrifice, but of course there were things I had to give up. Acting is my first love and I gave that up for television and hosting because I felt I had to move on. But in a way, I wasn't really giving up everything, because I'm now going international and making a name for myself.
MTVAsia.com: How much of your decision to become a VJ can be attributed to your love for music?
Donita: Well, I've always wanted to be a VJ! I've always loved MTV, and I've always loved music...and I love dancing too. We've always had MTV while we were growing up, as we used to live in the U.S. bases.
My mother was the director of school plays and had often encouraged us to make our own videos -- my siblings and I, and all our cousins. And so that was what we would do every weekend (when I was 7 or 8). My mum would divide us into groups and we would put up props and perform every Sunday in front of our family in our large living room. So we would play our favorite song and come up with a production number...with my brother as the choreographer and my sister doing something else. One day, it would be boys against girls, while on another day, it would be just individuals. My dad would always be the one in charge of the video camera and my mum would be the judge, giving out prizes for the best performances.
MTVAsia.com: Are you a religious person?
Donita: I have to say that I've pretty much found what I've been looking for, in terms of religion. I'm not Miss Goody-Two-Shoes. I've done some terrible things in the past and I cannot say that I haven't tried anything that most teenagers are susceptible to trying these days. But I've learned through my mistakes and at least I've learned at a very young age.
I love children, and I get along well with people of all ages, especially the youth. So, it soon dawned on me that this was my calling in life...to show people that you can...even if it doesn't have anything to do with religion...you can have fun in life without having to go towards drugs or sex.
I've tried smoking when I was very young, and I've tried drinking and God knows what else. But I just feel that now that I've seen the light, I just want the kids to know that they don't have to go through all those stupid things...they don't have to go through what I've been through.
MTVAsia.com: Christianity plays a big part in your life. How does that affect you in having a relationship?
Donita: I have a boyfriend and I believe that you can be involved with somebody else without going against your own moral values. That's all that I'm trying to encourage. Because nowadays, teenagers are getting pregnant at an earlier age. People are getting married for all the wrong reasons, that's why there are broken families, broken homes, people without fathers and mothers. It's really sad what this world is coming to. We need more people out there to encourage others to see the good in life and that a person can make the best out of what he's got.
MTVAsia.com: Is there anything you can tell the readers about your boyfriend?
Donita: Well, the thing is that I don't really like to go into too much detail, because I don't know if he's the right one. Sometimes, it's kind of hard when you talk too much of this guy and then later you break up with him, and everyone knows. But I would just say that he respects me as a woman.
I think that it isn't right if a man does everything he can to try to get you into bed with him or if he says that sex before marriage is okay 'cos it's love. Because if a man really respects you, he can wait until after marriage. We have everything in the world to entertain us right now -- bungee jumping, television, 24-hour cable TV with so many channels to choose from, VCDs, DVDs, VHS, Sega, Nintendo, computers, Internet, movies -- so why do we need to just concentrate on boys?
MTVAsia.com: What other qualities are you looking for in your ideal partner?
Donita: He's got to be somebody who takes care of his own family. Because if he doesn't have a good relationship with his own father and mother and siblings, then that's how he's going to treat you and your family. I believe that we should both have the same views about religion, that's very important, because that's going to be the foundation of your marriage.
MTVAsia.com: So what's life like, working as a VJ? Is it as glamorous as what people think it is?
Donita: It is, actually. I've been in MTV for almost a year. The first 10 months, it was very, very hard work. I was just preparing myself, getting myself established as a VJ, doing promotions, getting to know more about music. And knowing more about myself, so that when I'm on the camera, I'll be confident. Now that I'm pretty much settled in, I know where I stand in the business. I'm more confident on television, and I don't feel it's so difficult anymore. Basically, you just have to love music, and just sit back and relax.
It's very glamorous in the sense that you always have to be up-to-date on trends, fashion, beauty, and all that. So when you see yourself in the limelight, it's glamorous. But off the camera, it's not exactly like that. For me, personally, I don't like putting on makeup and I don't like dressing up. What I like to do is to just bum around at home, go to the movies, and just live a quiet life.