Vhong very happy as Robin’s sidekick - FUNFARE by Ricardo F. Lo

Direk Chito Roño’s eight-member Streetboys are becoming a good source of TV-movie actors. Jhong Hilario, a Best Supporting Actor awardee (Muro-Ami), is a Streetboy, and so is upcoming actor Danilo Barrios and "prodigal" Streetboy Spencer Reyes (who fought with Chito and then reconciled with him and then went AWOL again, now reportedly married and starting his own family).

Three of the Streetboys are part of the (dancing) ensemble of the Miss Saigon at CCP (good until end of this month, so better hurry and catch it, if you haven’t seen it yet or want to see it again).

And then there’s also Vhong Navarro, the sidekick of Robin Padilla in the ABS-CBN sitcom Puwedeng-Puwede and in Robin’s new Star Cinema movie (with Claudine Barretto), Ooops, Teka Lang… Diskarte Ko ’To, Vhong’s movie "debut" as virtually Robin’s "shadow" (just like what Bayani Agbayani is to Cesar Montano or the late Dencio Padilla and now Berting Labra is to FPJ).

"Robin is really my idol," says Vhong (full name: Ferdinand Navarro) who was only 16 when he joined the Streetboys and is now turning 24, a separated unwed father of a three-year-old daughter (with former wife Bianca Lapuz). "Even if we’ve been together on Puwedeng-Puwede, I still want to impress Idol so kahit ano ang ipagawa niya sa akin (in Ooops, Teka Lang) ginagawa ko."

According to Robin, Vhong’s being a dancer enhances his gracefulness in action scenes (action stars who know how to dance make action scenes even more beautiful to watch).

It was direk Chito himself who pushed Vhong (and the other Streetboys) into TV-movie acting. Chito observed that Vhong was always making everybody laugh, especially during rehearsals, so he encouraged Vhong to develop his comic prowess. "Actually," says Vhong, "I’m a serious guy. At home, tahimik ako."

Last seen in Regal Films’ Metro Filmfest 2000 entry Spirit Warriors, Vhong had a stint in the Dolphy-starrer sitcom Home Along da Riles before he moved over to Puwedeng-Puwede. Win some, lose some. Dolphy is also Vhong’s idol (in comedy) and he said he learned a lot from the master funnyman.

"Tito Dolphy never runs out of punch-lines," observed Vhong. "Kahit Take 4 o Take 5, he’s still funny when he delivers his lines. He’s like a Tatay to us younger members of the cast. Marami siyang alam, para siyang si Ernie Baron. You ask him about anything and Tito Dolphy has the answers, from women to just anything."

Binibini bets eye showbiz

As usual, there are several showbiz "material" among the current batch of Bb. Pilipinas hopefuls, with the three major winners to be chosen Saturday night at the Araneta Coliseum (covered live by GMA 7).

Two of them are Angie Roque Yambao,24, who stands 5"8.5" and weighs 118 pounds (curvaceous at 34-23-35). A Business Management graduate of La Consolacion College (Manila), Angie is presently working at Coastal Subic Terminal Inc., member of the Human Resource Department staff for two years now.

She hopes to be a commercial and ramp model. Or, if there’s any offer, a movie star.

Another is Jeremie Antiporda, 24, now already starting a career in commercial modeling, stage-acting and recording.

Not many people know that Jeremie has already carved her name in the showbiz industry as a formidable songstress. Her self-titled debut album was released in 1998 and was nominated "Best Dance Album" in the 1999 Awit Awards. She has also performed at the Araneta Coliseum and the Folk Arts Theater as a guest in various concerts.

Considered by many as the Filipina version of Mariah Carey, Jeremie started her singing career at 15, when she won the 1993 Yamaha Music Mate search. She briefly hosted a youth-oriented TV show on IBC-13 in 1998 and represented the country in a singing contest in Malaysia the same year.

Late last year, she also dazzled hundreds of bar habitués all throughout her month-long bar tour which included such venues as Hard Rock Café, Virgin Café, and Kampo.

Aside from being an oft-requested performer at corporate functions and product launches, Jeremie also dabbled in stage plays and musicals. Last year, she bagged the lead role in the Repertory Philippines’ production of Evita at the William J. Shaw Theater.