The Morning Rush is an award-winning flagship weekday radio show of Monster Radio RX 93.1 hosted by Chico Garcia, Hazel Aguilon, Rica Garcia, and Markki Stroem from 6-10 am. It is also broadcast every last Saturday of the month from 6-9am as a special that serves as the get together of most of their loyal listeners. The show first aired on Monster Radio on July 8, 1996 with Chico and Delamar and was moved to 93.9 KCFM in 1999. It then returned to Monster Radio in 2002. The show has a cult following of listeners, who call themselves "Rushers".
Background
Its main feature is the Top Ten. The DJs would pick a topic for the day and announce it at the start of the show. During the four-hour stretch, listeners would submit their entries for the top ten via SMS or through their Twitter account. The DJs would then pick the best entries and announce the top entries every half-hour, alternating for the bottom half and the top half of the list. The show had strictly followed the rule of only the top ten entries be picked. Recently, though, to accommodate the sheer amount of entries coming in, they have become latent with the number of entries picked, and would now exceed the usual ten entries. The whole show, in total, would end up with four lists. On every last Saturday of the month, The Morning Rush airs as a special show that aims to be the general meet-up of all the loyal Rushers and the DJs. On their 15th-year anniversary, they broadcast their show from the Ortigas Park branch of Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Recently, with the addition of Gino Quillamor, three new portions have temporarily made it to the show. The "Epic Pic" features various photos of the DJs in hilarious poses. These photos are posted weekly on their Facebook fan page. Recently, "Epic Pics" are now infrequently shown, usually when a significant event happens or a significant guest joins the show. The "Epic Rap-Off" aims to feature the rapping skills of the DJs in a rap-off, usually revolving around a specific theme. Recently, though, "Epic Rap-Offs" are less frequent, only being done when guests are present during the show. More recent are "Scandals" - infrequent random video clips of the three DJs in hilarious or suggestive scenarios.
Milestones
In 2005, the show had two new members: Brad Turvey and Sarah. Brad Turvey joins every Mondays and Wednesdays while Sarah joins in between those days. In 2007, they were joined by Karen. On March 11, 2011, the big reveal was announced - Delamar is pregnant and is due in October. On July 11, 2011, Gino substituted for Delamar for the first time, creating the tandem "Chi-Chi and GiGi" which lasted until December 16, 2011. On that last day of Gino's substitution, they had a Top Ten topic entitled "Most Dramatic Goodbyes" thinking it was the last time they would be on air together. On October 11, 2011, Delamar gave birth to a healthy baby boy. From then, she was on maternity leave. Gino subbed for her until she can fully recover, creating the "Chichi and Gigi" tandem. This tandem pushed the radio show in another direction. Many were surprised by the excellent tandem of the two and immediately became an instant hit with listeners, new and old. Aside from the top ten, Chico and Gino added the "Epic Picture" and "Epic Rap Off". As of December 19, 2011, Delamar had returned on the radio. Surprisingly, The Morning Rush announced that Gino would now be a mainstay in the show, forming the "Kikay Barkada". As of late 2011, Chico and Delamar released their book entitled "The Best Of Chico And Delamar's The Morning Rush Top 10." The book was officially launched on 28 January 2012 in the activity center in Robinsons Galleria. It has ranked number 1 bestseller among local books sold in National Bookstore, as of April, 2012. The book is a compilation of the best Top 10 entries sent in by listeners during the Top 10 segment of the show. On February 3, 2013, Chico, Delamar, and Gino, released the book "The Best of Chico, Delamar, and Gino's The Morning Rush Top 10: Book 2" in Robinson's Galleria. As of the last quarter of 2015, the gang has released their 3rd installment of "The Best of Chico, Delamar, and Gino's The Morning Rush Top 10". Also during this period, they were joined by Bea Fabregas every Tuesdays and Thursdays. As of November 2015, Bea became a daily regular as Delamar's substitute. On July 22, 2016, Delamar announced her departure from the show, after 20 years, with her last show on July 29, 2016. Bea also announced that she will no longer be part of the show. On April 5, 2017, it was announced that Rica Garcia will be joining Chico and Gino. On June 21, 2018, Chico officially announced the departure of Gino Quillamor. On June 25, 2018, Chico and Rica were officially joined by Hazel Aguilon. The trio is unofficially called the "Boobellas". As of September 18, 2018, Rica Garcia is transferred to Wild and Wicked, leaving Chico and Hazel as the hosts of the radio show. In 2018, Markki Stroem joined the show and alternates with Rica Garcia. In 2019, all four hosts are in the show every Friday.
