Kori Quintos: A Gem from Dagupan, Now a Desk Assignment Editor for ABS-CBN

 

Kori Quintos reporting in Marawi City. Source

Imagine you are a parent, and your child gives you an ultimatum: either she attends a nursing course and fails every subject, or she enrolls in mass communication and fails only one subject.

That was the choice Ms. Kori Quintos gave to her parents on one fateful day. Five years later, she graduated from Saint Louis University and became part of the biggest media company in the Philippines. It's safe to assume that her parents made the right decision.

A Gem from Dagupan

ABS-CBN journalist Kori Quintos. Source

It was an honor to meet and interview Ma'am Quintos during the weekends. Growing up, my household and I always tuned in to ABS-CBN for our morning and evening news. And those times, I got the chance to see and hear Kori Quintos on air. So being able to share a ZOOM call with her was a big opportunity.

Ma'am Quintos was jolly and energetic throughout the interview. She had this ability to capture our attention with her storytelling. It felt like we were talking to a senior classmate or an ate from a higher year. She was friendly, jovial, and relatable.

Throughout her college days tales, we could not help but agree that she was (and still is) someone responsible and dedicated to her work. As a member of the Tanghalan Theater Company, she had to sacrifice her free time to work all day and night. She also had to sacrifice not being in the same classrooms as her peers due to conflicting schedules. Fortunately, she survived her college year and, unplanned by her, became a successful employee of ABS-CBN.

A screenshot of our interview with Kori Quintos.

A Desk Assignment Editor for ABS-CBN

Being a desk editor is no easy task. Like a scale, Kori Quintos needs to balance two jobs at once. Not only does she lead and endorse six reporters under her wing, but she also has to edit their work. 

But Ma'am Quintos is graceful with her occupation. She strives for quality from herself and her co-worker. And when her reporter's works are featured and rewarded, she feels she has done a great job.

Pressure can get high in the workplace, though. And if it's too much, she finds ways to simmer down before working again. During her downtime, Kori Quintos enjoys watching Netflix, chatting with her friends, and playing badminton with her fellow reporters and editors. She also shared that Baguio City is her comfort zone. For her, mental health matters just as much as working hard.

It's tough being a desk assignment editor. Every mistake her reporters make, Ma'am Quintos has to step in and take the fall. But Kori Quintos embraces the responsibility that comes with being a desk editor. And every accomplishment she and her reporters make is a win in her book.

Her Legacy as a Journalist

"Hindi porke may bagsak ka—hindi porke hindi ka yong pinaka-top 1 sa klase mo—wala ka ng magiging future. Kasi sa huli nasa diskarte parin yan."

Kori Quintos showed us that success is not measured by how prestigious your school is or how many marks you earned in class. Instead, it's how hard you work in life and how resourceful you are in this cut-throat work environment.

Ma'am Quintos did not shy away from the fact that being a comm student is hard. She experienced plenty of ups and downs in her college and career life. However, she continues to strive to make a name for herself as a journalist. And she encourages every student to follow their dreams as well.

For Kori Quintos, it's all about respect and seeing other people's perspectives. In college, she met different people with different backgrounds. And she learned to treat everybody with kindness. This lesson of acceptance is something she brought into her career.

With a golden heart and a sharp mind, she inspires everybody she meets, students and reporters alike. And she hopes that every aspiring comm practitioner does the same.