One News is expanding its Long Conversation strip with the launch of The Lovely Show, a new talk-oriented program hosted by political vlogger and social commentator Lovely Granada. Debuting tonight at 9PM, Granada will be joined by political analyst Ronald Llamas, who is also part of another LongCon program, Safe House.

For its pilot episode, Granada and Llamas will sit down with political vlogger and Bilyonaryo News Channel host Atty. Jesus “Jess” Falcis to discuss recent developments at the Senate, the ICC controversy, and other stories currently making waves in Philippine politics.

This will not be the first time that Granada and Llamas will team up in a program. She has been a frequent guest co-host on his Kwatro Alas on DZMM Radyo Patrol 630. The Lovely Show, however, marks a new chapter for the millennial vlogger as she steps into her first major TV hosting role with a program carrying her own name.

Watch the promo below:

After years of ​delivering the news to Filipino audiences,​ Danie Laurel has begun a new chapter in her journalism career — this time in India. Following a​ successful run at ​C​ignal TV’s One News,​ she ​w​as recently named Senior Anchor for Firstpost​, an all-digital media platform owned by Network18, India’s largest news network.

The move marks both a professional and personal turning point for the Asian TV Awards winner. In an interview with Media Newser Philippines, Laurel described the transition not as a break from her past work, but as a continuation of a career shaped by growth, mobility, and newsroom experience across borders.

“You know, India is the seventh country I have lived in,” she said. “I thought I was done moving around, but actually, it’s who I am. I love adventure, I love a good cultural challenge, I love discomfort, and I love growth. I am a journo-academic, after all, and I will follow the stories that matter where they matter.”

As she settles into her new role, Laurel spoke to us about taking risks, adapting to life and work in India, building Firstpost’s business and economics coverage, and why Philippine news stories will continue to remain close to her beat. An edited transcript of our conversation appears below.

After eight and a half years with One News, and before that Bloomberg TV PH, what made this the right time to begin a new chapter with Firstpost?
For a big decision like this to happen, everything needed to have aligned. I have had other career opportunities before to anchor abroad, but my personal life was tied to Manila.

Conversely, there were times in my life when I wanted to live abroad again, but I was thriving in my local network. I loved my career as a host in Manila; I was very happy professionally. It was hard to top — it still is hard to top — what I have back home. It needed to be an amazing opportunity for me to give that all up.

This offer came at the right time, and it was for the right outlet. There was a window where I needed to decide whether to begin another daily show with One News — which I was very excited to do — or to take a big risk and start a whole new life adventure that would open so many doors. I have an amazing relationship with my bosses and team at Cignal and TV5. They are family to me. They were so excited for me. They knew in their hearts that I would succeed in this. It’s obviously great for any journalist to gain experience in different newsrooms, especially abroad. They encouraged me to go for it and assured me that I would always have a home with them.

While it is a new chapter, I come into this as a very clear continuation of a path that I have carefully forged for close to a decade. Everything I have learned in the Philippine newsroom, I have brought with me to India. I am valued here for the experience and input I bring and, simultaneously, I am learning so much from such an established company, Network18.

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What drew you specifically to Firstpost?
If you begin following and watching Firstpost, I assure you, you will become an instant fan. It’s such a modern and progressive news outlet that is well-aligned with my skill set and personality. I had been a fan and close follower of Palki Sharma for many years. She had a show called Gravitas on her previous network and then helmed our banner show Vantage on Firstpost before she decided to start her own network. She was the one who interviewed me for this role.

Firstpost is a relatively new digital outlet, but it belongs to the biggest TV broadcast network in India that owns CNN, CNBC, Forbes, and their local channel News18, so we share resources. It is backed by one of India’s largest conglomerates. So, you can imagine, the quality and stability are just so high at a professional level, but it also has this fun, vibrant startup vibe. It’s such a unique positioning.

Our viewership demographic is A and B, ages 22–50. Intelligent viewers. Of the 3 billion annual viewers, half are from India and half are global. Motivation is high because we have so much space to innovate. From a journalistic viewpoint, we don’t need to compete with traditional media or TV outlets; we reference and complement them. We have wires, but we are not reporting on the ground for now. Instead, what we are known for is explainers and deep dives — curating stories and churning out, in real time, easily digestible and trustworthy news for a social media and YouTube audience, thereby elevating the standard for digital natives used to so much noise. We are cleaning up the noise for everyone. As an academic who loves to research, write, and explain things in a better, referenced, and cross-checked way, it fits me so well.

Leaving a newsroom you’ve called home for almost a decade is a big decision. Was there a particular moment or realization that convinced you to make the move?
Apart from this obviously being a great job, I had just turned 40, I was newly single, I enjoyed what I believe was my last chance at motherhood, and I was raring to go back to the beat of work.

You know, India is the seventh country I have lived in. I thought I was done moving around, but actually, it’s who I am. I love adventure, I love a good cultural challenge, I love discomfort, and I love growth. I am a journo-academic, after all, and I will follow the stories that matter where they matter. I will move with five luggages anywhere, baby in tow.

When I told my closest friends, they paused for a few seconds, but the reaction was always: “Good decision. Makes perfect sense for who you are.”

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A few weeks into your new role, what has surprised you most about your Firstpost experience so far, and also working and living in India?

Two things stand out. First is the work culture — wow. Indians are ambitious, innately ambitious; it is palpable. No one is forcing anyone to work; they just love to work. They love to prove themselves. It’s this idea that there are 1.5 billion people and, to stand out, you need to show it. It’s a country built on self-made people. They have so much respect for achievement.

I thought I was ambitious, but this is forcing me to go, go, go. I love it. I love being in an environment where everyone is motivated.

Second, I am so impressed by the strength of the middle class in India. I had expected something more similar to the Philippines — that is, a massive divide between the elite who are ruling society and the masses. It’s not the case here. The middle class is thriving and ruling this country. Everything is built for them and everything is affordable. People’s lives are improving, and it is no wonder this is the world’s third-largest economy (by PPP). It’s so inspiring.

As Senior Anchor, what do you hope to bring to Firstpost, and what do you want to accomplish in this role?
From a beat perspective, I am tasked with developing the business and economics banner, which does not yet exist. I also want to cover European news since I speak Italian, French, and Spanish. I plan to make these two things very strong.

I want to go into the field and cover events, do interviews, push for primary sources and exclusives. We also have ambitious plans to do live events. Hosting and moderating live events is my forte. I am very excited for this.

What kinds of stories, issues, or conversations are you most excited to cover at Firstpost?

I want to do business and economics news differently. I want to make it accessible and inclusive, but still intelligent and not dumbed down. I spend hours brainstorming exactly how to do this.

We are not Bloomberg or CNBC, and we aren’t trying to be. These outlets can be very intimidating to a normal audience.

At the heart of this, I am a professor who wants to bring an already intelligent audience into the historically esoteric and exclusive business, finance, and economics conversation.

You did a story on Sen. Bato Dela Rosa recently. Will you continue covering Philippine news stories at Firstpost?
Absolutely, yes. I was the one who broke that Senate shooting to my team by showing them video footage from a good friend of mine, the inimitable Meanne Los Banos. I was the only one who could explain it, obviously, as it was happening in real time.

Filipino audiences are among our top five audience segments. We are closely watching the Duterte trial at The Hague, which is a massive global story. I will definitely take that under my wing.

A year from now, what would make you say that this move to Firstpost was the right decision?
This is a time in my life as a journalist where I no longer need to be performative on-cam. I don’t need to be a star. I don’t need to build my brand.

I need to deliver quality work in a senior role. I need to contribute to leadership in the newsroom, provide insights that come from experience, and be available for commentary, writing, and sharing what I know and how I analyze things.

Earlier in my career, I needed to build news anchor credibility and make sure I did things right. Now it’s about the entire Firstpost franchise being successful. We are a 250-strong team. And since we are digital, it’s easy to see the metrics, audience reception, and competition on a real-time basis.

The numbers don’t lie. The entire channel will simply die if we do not put out quality work tirelessly every single day that can also financially sustain us.

But the upside is even more exciting, and I’m confident I’m in the right position to help make that happen — after all, I moved all the way to India to do that.

Days after Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa went into hiding, questions about his whereabouts continue to pile up. Several allies of the Duterte camp, including Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano and Senator Robin Padilla, have already been asked by the media, but so far, no clear answer has emerged.

On Monday’s The Big Story, anchor Ces Oreña-Drilon had musician turned lawyer Atty. Jimmy Bondoc, one of Dela Rosa’s lawyers and among the most vocal defenders of the Duterte faction.

Bondoc maintained that even their own legal team does not know where Dela Rosa is.

“We have repeatedly stated sincerely and earnestly, we do not know, and I think it’s intentional on the part of our client, siguro po to safeguard all of us and all of his loved ones,” he said.

Drilon pressed him on the consequences of his client’s decision, pointing out that it left his own lawyers exposed to public scrutiny.

“He put you in an awkward position where you were telling reporters you had just seen him and then he left. Don’t you question your client’s actions, to have put you on the spot?” Drilon asked.

Bondoc pushed back on the characterization.

“I think it’s just that I was not informed of his strategy, but it shows both of us, lawyers of Senator Bato, really were not into any conspiracy to take him out of the reach of his accusers,” he answered.

The discussion then shifted to whether Dela Rosa should be considered a fugitive, with Drilon citing the government’s position before the Supreme Court.

“Why isn’t he when it’s very clear in the manifestation of the Solicitor General to the Supreme Court that he is?” Drilon asked. “He is evading a legitimate warrant of arrest, which is lawful by virtue of RA 9851, which preceded our signing of the Rome Statute, even if we had withdrawn from the ICC.”

Bondoc argued that the Solicitor General’s filing was not a court ruling.

“Kasi po kapag tumatakbo po ang isang tao mula sa batas kailangan po malinaw kung ano po ba ‘yung batas na tinatakbuhan,” Bondoc said. “Kung ang tinatakbuhan po niya ay lokal na batas, ‘yun po, tama po, fugitive po siya. Pero pag ang tinatakbuhan niya po ay ‘yung International Criminal Court that we do not recognize, and lalo na po ‘yung arrest warrant, which was not properly processed na within all applicable laws, then he cannot be fugitive.”

Bondoc added that the legal issue, in their view, goes beyond simple definitions of flight and involves broader constitutional and jurisdictional questions.

Drilon challenged that framing and questioned why the issue was being treated as political when it involves crimes committed during the Duterte administration’s bloody drug war campaign.

“Why are you coloring this with politics when the case here involves the drug war victims during the time that he was PNP chief? There is a law, RA 9851, not just because the Solicitor General is saying that there is, but there is a law. I think the facts are being twisted here, and we’re being confused that this is just politics,” Drilon said.

She added: “It’s really a case that he’s answerable to that why the country had to seek the help of the ICC because wala pong recourse ang mga victims dito sa Pilipinas. But just the same, flight is guilt. Why does he leave the protective custody of the Senate, supposedly to go into hiding when he was given, to the discredit nga of some of his colleagues, his colleagues were criticized for granting that protection to him, and then he fled. How do you explain that?”

Bondoc responded by citing Senate deliberations and their interpretation of RA 9851, saying it is not a “surrogate arrest mechanism” for the ICC. He added that local courts remain functional, and that part of their petition includes seeking a TRO to stop the implementation of the ICC warrant.

“It was meant to criminalize those crimes here in the Philippines and to be tried here in the Philippines. Ma’am Ces, I beg you to read the Senate journals,” he said.

Drilon interjected, pointing out that there was no legal barrier stopping enforcement.

“Eh wala nga pong TRO, walang TRO,” she said. “The way is clear for him to be arrested. And if he, as a lawmaker, he should at least face the music and not go missing.”

Watch the video below: