Intense and irresistible are the only ways to describe Piolo
Pascual. Stealing thousands of women's hearts in the Philippines, Piolo
is indeed one man audiences just can't refuse.
Piolo
Pascual, who's the embodiment of success in local show business in the
Philippines today, believes that the answer is predestination. A quick
background check on his show biz history supports his position: In his
early teen years, he became a part of "That's Entertainment" but his
career failed to take off.
After high school, he joined UST's theater group, Teatro Tomasino,
and soon found himself in a children's show on Channel 2 in the
Philippines, "Atbp."
Then
he made it to the giant network's Star Circle, Batch 3. But before he
could catch up with his more popular contemporaries, Piolo chose to
live with his mom in the United States, where he did a string of odd
jobs instead of pursuing a college degree. Then he made the decision
that changed his life forever. He went back to the Philippines and
picked up from where he had left off. He finally got his break in the
weekly miniseries, "Sa Sandaling Kailangan Mo Ako," (The Moment You
Need Me) and in "Lagarista."
Piolo's short stint in the soap
"Esperanza" led to his pairing with the popular Judy Ann Santos. A
couple of hits and some strategic career-management planning later,
Piolo is the hot young actor in the Philippines.
"We make our
own destiny," he nods, shifting his attention away from his laptop,
which he brings to his tapings, to reply to our query. "But everything
comes from God."
The 26-year-old actor-singer shares that he's
humbled by his achievements. Each time that he accomplishes something-a
box-office hit, top-rating TV show, concert, recording or an acting
award-Piolo feels that there's a higher being responsible for all the
good things that are happening in his life. This realization has
redefined his spirituality.
Piolo now tries his best to faithfully attend his Church's Sunday service, and also to read the Bible and pray more.
"He's
been so good to me," he says. "Honestly, I don't feel I deserve all
these blessings. But I savor each one of them and I treat it as a gift.
Now I want to be a living example of God's goodness."
Piolo is one of the busiest stars in Asia. Piolo and Judy Ann, recently completed a new movie titled "Picture Mom."
Piolo
also sings. It's a little difficult telling how good a singer he is,
what with the way his voice is being drowned out by the deafening
screams of his fans. But music industry heavies believe in his
potential. His eponymous debut album is quickly turning gold. But he
hastens to add that a follow-up is not in the works yet. In fact, it
may take a while before he goes back to the recording studios.
Piolo,
you see, is a cautious person. If he feels he can't handle a
responsibility, he won't hesitate to say no. For instance, he's been
offered to do either a solo or a back-to-back concert this year, but he
opted for a smaller participation as a guest artist. This attitude
almost cost him his Jules role in "Dekada '70." Piolo declined the
offer by Star Cinema because he felt he couldn't do it. Fortunately, he
set aside his fears and let his theistic instincts rule. Winning the
Best Supporting Actor award forces him to always be at his theistic
best.
"Nakakatakot kasi (It's scary) to prove that I deserve
it," he acknowledges. "But I love my craft, and that will be my
motivation for the new assignments I take on."
Piolo may be destined to be a successful young star, but he certainly worked hard for the fulfillment of his dream.
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