Boeing Paras: Skateboarder-surfer, Showbiz newcomer?

New endorser of Lee Pipes, skateboarder-skimboarder-surfer Boeing Paras, is being eyed to star in an upcoming film with a major studio outfit and is one of the hosts of a sports-oriented TV show to be launched this summer. Is the stage being set for another Cebuano to make a big splash in show business?

Boeing Paras has every right to bill himself as the Cebuano to watch out for in show business.

Instead, the new endorser of Lee Pipes (who never by the way had to audition) who is also being eyed to star in a movie, and is through shooting the pilot episode of a TV show scheduled to premiere this summer, tries to sidestep questions about him going into that klieg lights and all direction with an embarrassed laugh and an earnest declaration, "I'm not showbiz! I'm just a sportsman."

Twenty-something Boeing has been quite the daredevil, charging through defiant ramps and waves for more than a decade now. These days, it is surfing, however, that tops his interests. With his growing-up years spent in Camotes Island, the beach has always been his playground. He talks animatedly about how he as a kid would rush to the waters for a swim first thing in the morning, an everyday routine that would rankle his uncle. And so, "I'd comb myself dry like as if nothing happened," he recalls with a laugh.

Boeing has made a name for himself by representing Cebu in surfing circuits that brought him to various, breathtaking points of the country-San Juan in La Union, Lanuza in Surigao del Sur, Baler in Aurora, Tanauan in Leyte, Punta Fuego in Batangas and Siargao Island. Apart from the surge of adrenalin that he gets from riding a wave, surfing has allowed room for such priceless experiences as "immersing in cultures, localism, food tripping and meeting new people."

"Yes, it's expensive, the board alone costs around P20T and up, plus you have to travel, take care of the accommodations everything, but surfing is a world of wonders for me," enthuses Boeing, who plans to embark on activities in his hometown in Camotes to introduce the sport to more people. Though specifics cannot be revealed as of the moment, according to a source close to Boeing, his new TV show, which he will be co-hosting with celebrities, will feature surfing destinations as well as rock stars and hottest actors turned surfing converts.

Boeing could have explored this high-profile field many times in the past-he was invited to audition for Jeffrey Jeturian's Bikini Open, was asked to host a local TV show, among others, but his reluctance would always get the better of him. It was only now that he has opened himself up to the idea thanks to a meeting with some movie executives (it helped that it was scheduled without his knowledge) and some prodding from friends that he give it a shot.

Late last year, it only took test shots of him to convince Lee Pipes that Boeing could give a fresh, sporty and healthy look to the brand. Boeing says: "It's a great feeling. Lami kaayo. I never thought I could reach this point-endorsing a brand like Lee."

Sportsmen going showbiz is nothing quite out of the ordinary. And he admits that yes, if there was anything tempting about it, that would have to be the fringe benefits-and with a family to support (he's happily married to Ofelia and father to Matt, 8 and Andrea, 5), and quite an expensive hobby to sustain, who is he to deny such opportunity?

We tell him that if there's any precursor foretelling he's bound to make a bigger splash in this "newfound career," it would have to be how his presence at the Lee Pipes float last Sinulog sent people screaming for his attention. "They mistook me for somebody else," he is quick to explain. Well, ladies and gentlemen, doesn't he just strike you as a Jericho Rosales deadringer? He says, "It happens all the time, nadawat na nako, wa nako mabuhat ana. Akong mga amigo na celebrity, ila sad sakyan. Crazy stuff happens. Sometimes, it gets overwhelming, but sometimes it can be irritating."

Take for example, the recent surfing event at La Nussa, the second he arrived he was mobbed. "Awayon ka. Magpa-pirma man gud nako ug magpa-picture and I'd have to decline saying na dili ko si Echo. Pero dili gyud sila motuo," he reveals. The only time he felt compelled to oblige was when a child, an obviously huge fan, was being repeatedly scolded by the father after failing to get "Echo's" autograph.

Interestingly, the similarities go beyond the rugged, wavy-haired, good looks-and the surfing lifestyle (though Boeing has been into it longer than the Panday actor). Like Echo, another Lee endorser, mind you, Boeing is into photography, he plays the guitar and sings (Echo fronts for a band), and he has the same birth date as Echo (September 22). Unbelievable? Even Boeing himself finds it incredible.

Would Boeing be able to duplicate the career of his ka-look-a-like? Who knows? One thing is for sure: any big splash from another Cebuano in the national entertainment scene is something to be excited about.