“Soldier ang tatay ko at mahirap lang po kami, palipat-lipat siya ng destino,” he says. “Dahil mahilig akong umarte and I can sing, nag-apply ako sa National School for the Arts sa Mount Makiling as a scholar at theatre major ako roon. Then lumipat ako sa St. Benilde taking up arts management also on a scholarship. At 15, nag-apply ako sa PETA at nakuha akong stagehand, nagwawalis ng confetti sa stage sa ‘Zsa Zsa Zaturnaaah’ na bida si Tiyang Eula Valdes. Naging good friends kami. Tapos, ako na ang gumanap na Didi in the said musical.”
After that, he tried the movies. “Nakuha kong mag-movie as the transgender maid nina Mart Escudero sa ‘Zombadings’, in the indie film ‘Rekrut’ and as a witness sa ‘Paglilitis kay Bonifacio’ ni late Direk Mario O’hara. Nagtrabaho rin akong lounge singer sa Jakarta, Malaysia and Korea for two years. Pagbalik ko rito, I did theatre at nakasama ako sa ‘Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady’ ni Direk Chris Martinez.”
Now that he’s on TV, doesn’t he miss doing theatre? “I do. I miss the training, the camaraderie, the feeling of performing for a live audience. Kaya lang, I have to focus on TV now.”
He’s often the host of GMA-7 press conferences for new shows. What can he say about predictions that he’d win in “Superstar Duets”? “Sana nga, magdilang anghel sila. But enjoy talaga ako sa ‘Superstar Duets’ dahil puro okay ang mga kasama ko, like Jerald Napoles, Divine Aucina, Rita Daniela at si Joross Gamboa na masaya talaga at dati, hindi seryoso pero ngayon gusto na niyang manalo. At si Jennylyn Mercado as our host, sobrang bait niya, kahit pagod na at may pinagdaraanan kasi nga may sakit ang mother niya and eventually passed. Hindi mo mahahalatang mabigat ang pinagdaraanan niya kasi she’s so composed, so relaxed. Sabi, isasama raw ako sa next soap niya, ‘My Love from the Star’, as her sidekick. Sana nga, magkatotoo.”
