He’s the mentor of the North and Central Luzon protégés: Japs de Luna and Shelly Hipolito from Nueva Cija and Reese Tayag and Glenn Roy from Tarlac. Japs is 20, an information technology graduate who finished college after he got a scholarship grant from their mayor. He sings and plays the guitar. He considers Ricky a great mentor “since he’s not only a good actor but also a good director”.
Glenn Roy is 18 and has tried theatre acting so he acts, sings and dances well. His dad works in Davao while his three sibling work in Makati. “Ako lang po ang naiwan sa mama ko sa Tarlac,” he says. He likes Ricky as mentor “kasi hindi po siya gaya noong iba na nananakot. Siya po, very sweet sa amin kaya very comfortable kami with him.” Shelly is 16 and her idols for acting and singing are Heart Evangelista and Rachel Ann Go, respectively. She considers being just part of the top 20 already a big accomplishment. “Kasi thousands auditioned at yung mapasama ka lang sa finalists, big honor na,” she says.
Reese is also 16 and she tried working as part-time singer and dancer in various gigs. “Self-supporting po ako kasi matanda na ang parents ko,” she says. Her idol is Jennylyn Mercado. “Kasi she sings, acts also does hosting well. Gusto kong maging ka-versatile niya.”
