Goodbye to the good boy image

MANILA, Philippines - He is the boy-next-door, trophy boyfriend a young lady can proudly bring home to mommy. This is not the Robi Domingo everybody expects to see when ABS-CBN’s Your Song Presents Boystown premieres today after A.S.A.P. ‘09. He plays the rich, bratty village boy named Arkin. The role adds a little spice to Robi’s wholesome image.

“I had no apprehensions at all,” says Robi when he learned about his first major TV acting project and eventually accepted it. “I think Arkin is different from Robi. And it is true what people say that you can act better when you’re not portraying your own self. So far, I have handled the character Arkin beautifully.”

Arkin is one of the village boys along with the bully Chad (played by Dino Imperial) and silent yet dangerous Brent (Chris Gutierrrez) on the weekly, youth TV series. In the story, they will meet the Boystown Boys of Arnel (Enchong Dee), Bobet (Sam Concepcion), Raul (Aaron Villaflor) and Ricky (AJ Perez). Since the young men come from different backgrounds, their first encounter is a potential riot and the clash between the two groups takes off from there.

“I think I am,” replies Robi when asked if he considers himself a good child to his doctor parents. “I am fulfilling my responsibilities as a son and continuing my parents’ legacy (by studying pre-Med and becoming a doctor like them).”

Your Song Presents’ take on the 1981 Marilou Diaz Abaya magnum opus is given a “now” makeover. The boystown is not viewed as a sort of jail where wards are punished and disciplined. What the televiewers will see is a nurturing orphanage where boys are educated and their talents honed. It is like a schoolhouse where innocent people are given a bright future.

This is also what the cast discovered when they had an immersion before shooting. The boys are one in sharing that their characters are “people who need guidance. They are sheltered with house parents. They are not rowdy. They are respectful and provided opportunities to tap their potentials.”

Boystown is about how a teenage boy lives in a boystown, makes a pact with fellow teens and finds a non-traditional family. The boys portrayed here are street kids and rescue children left by their parents.

Also in the cast are Ana Roces, Romnick Sarmienta, Ron Morales, Jessie Mendiola and Cris Villanueva. Lino Cayetano directs. 

“It is a different life,” Robi describes how he juggles school and show business. “I have a big responsibility in taking two different paths. It is good feeling that I could do both, though tiring at the end.”

Robi is one of the busiest Gigger Boys. We see him dancing hip-hop on A.S.A.P. ‘09 and playing your favorite list on MYX. Away from the spotlight, he is a regular Atenean college student, attending Literature-Filipino classes this summer.

Does showbiz also help him mature? Robi nods. He shares that he became an adult when he entered Bahay ni Kuya for Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition. His stint on the reality show has also helped him become responsible. But Robi says he has to be cautious of the temptations surrounding the industry. He will not let them get in the way of his other plans.

Although he is now a young man, Robi can still be a kid again every time he is with family and friends. He can visit that playful, innocent side of him anytime he wants.