MANILA: When Princess Habibah Sarip-Paudac first appeared on national television in 2012, she made history — not only as the Philippines’ first presenter to wear a hijab, but also as the first person from the country’s Muslim south to deliver the national news.
A native of Marawi, one of the main cities in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, home to much of the Philippines’ minority Muslim community, Paudac traveled to Manila to audition at the People’s Television Network.
She won the contest and on Aug. 8, 2012, the flagship state broadcaster took her on air. Everyone back home was glued to their TVs.
“It was the first time. Everyone was so happy. Everyone was like cheering for me that day. And I feel that it was a big responsibility,” Paudac told Arab News.
“A lot of people were so surprised that I was able to pave the way for Muslim women in the national mainstream media. So, for its impact, for the people, of course, it was so big.”
Paudac, a college teacher and community worker, had no training in broadcast news but from the very first day at PTV was thrown in at the deep end.
“I really made (sure to) see to it that I would be learning day by day through this job,” she said. “I think the love for journalism started from there.”
Paudac quickly picked up the rules of journalism and reporting, studied the current news, and learnt how to read and deliver it perfectly. But as time went by, she realized there was also another task in front of her — one that was not related to her job.
As the only Muslim in the newsroom, her colleagues would often ask her about her religion and background, and to explain to them the things they did not know about Islam and about her homeland in Mindanao.
“For them, it came s a surprise that I was able to speak Tagalog, that I was able to speak English ... And I was like, no, people in Bangsamoro are well educated, and we have good education there, and I’m just one of the many successful women out there. We have lawyers, we have doctors, we have teachers. Now we have a news anchor,” she said.
“It became like an eye-opener for me. I was like: ‘I think this is my purpose. This is what Allah wants me to do.”
As her career advanced, besides being a news anchor, Paudac also became a host at Salaam TV and Salaam Radio — PTV’s channels focused on Filipino Muslims.
She also grew increasingly active in her role of challenging stereotypes about Muslim women and has managed to make them be seen and recognized as professionals.
Now she hopes that more of them will feel encouraged and empowered to pursue high-profile careers.
“I hope that they can get something from me, from my representation. And this job is very noble. You can learn a lot from it. You can give more into your community through this, you are a representative not just of your community, but your faith as well. And you can educate a lot of people,” Paudac said.
Her message to fellow Muslim women is clear — that they can excel and redefine spaces while staying true to their faith and identity.
And for that, she has some advice: “Please, take care of your hijabs. Take care of yourselves. Make yourself a resourceful person. Learn a lot ... most importantly, never ever leave behind your faith, your identity.”
