RAQUEL S. GACHO
Board Member, GALANG Inc.
Unit Manager, GMA Network Inc.
Giving Back to the Community
By Mikee dela Cruz
PUBLISHED: SEPTEMBER 2009

“I have a gay brother who took care of me since I was four years old,” recalls Racquel S. Gacho, unit manager (music research and production) of GMA Network Inc.  “He took in odd jobs to help my parents send me and my siblings to school.”  The same brother, at that time, “was living on his own since he was 19 because my father didn't want to accept him.”

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And though “all is fine now, my brother and father are in good terms now, understandably, I admire him for striving to be where he is now, despite the obstacles that he had to go through.  I thank him for inspiring me to be me, and be the best that I can be in my chosen field (music research).”It is, thus, no wonder that Gacho ended up becoming an LGBT advocate, as a Board Member of the Gay and Lesbian Activist Network for Gender Equality Inc. (GALANG), which is dedicated to assisting vulnerable Filipino LGBTs become ‘conscienticized’ and empowered members of society.

“If I am to give one (thing that is disappointing in the LGBT community, it) would be the issues that members of the community have against one another.  This makes working together difficult, (yet) exciting at the same time." ROCKY S. GACHO

“It started August of 2008, when I attended the GALANG launch.  I've attended a number of exclusive parties that made me think and assess what I can do to give back more to the community than the simple P150 that I spend for the entrance fee. I have been blessed, and I figured it's about time to pay it forward and reach out to a group that would take in a newbie like me,” Gacho says, adding that a month after that realization (and contact with GALANG), "I was invited by GALANG to become part of their board, and I accepted right away."

ALL AROUND

A graduate of AB Communication Arts from the University of the Philippines-Los Baños, Laguna (1986-1990 – where she was also a member of the Sigma Delta Phi Sorority), Gacho started working as a marketing manager cum feature writer of People’s Magazine Inc. (1990-1991), multitasking by soliciting ad placements for the publication while also responsible for the layout and writing of the features and showbiz section.

Her true calling beckoned, though, as she got a chance to work as a music researcher for ABS-CBN (1995-1997), assisting the head of music in all the musical shows of the network, and maintaining and archiving the music library of the network.  She eventually became head of the music research department (1997-2002), handling all noontime musical variety shows by conceptualizing themed production numbers for such programs as ASAP and MTB.

While Gacho also had experiences in, among others, the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry, having worked as customer/sales service associate of West Contact Services (2007) and Convergys Inc. (2006-2007), she found a home at GMA Network Inc. – first as a music researcher (2002-2004), organizing the rented libraries of the network, and responsible for the use of popular music as themes for Chinovelas; and, subsequently, as unit manager for music research and production (2004 to the present), responsible for providing music for GMA’s on-air plugs and program body, increasing knowledge on network-wide proper music use, and helping build the original music library by producing three commissioned works in one year.

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