Watch JM de Guzman rise

MANILA, Philippines - Young actor JM (Juan Miguel) de Guzman was a freshman at the University of the Philippines when he experienced his first real (and thus far only) “heartbreak.”

He was taking up Theater Arts while his girl- friend was into Speech and Communication. Irreconcilable differences soon arose, however, and after two years they broke up. Later he learned that the girl had migrated to Australia.

“First time ako talagang nasaktan,” he recalls.

After that, JM would have crushes here and there, or some girls would take a liking to him, but nothing developed. Gays also gravitated towards this youthful Lord Byron but he kept things on a friendly, platonic level. “Mabait sila (gays),” he observes. “Mabait na kaibigan.”

Twenty-one going on 22 (on Sept. 9), JM is a rising actor of the stage (Orosman at Zafira), indie films (Rekrut) and TV (ABS-CBN’s Precious Hearts Romances: Midnight Phantom). He is also a songwriter, singer (tenor-baritone range) and prize-winning exponent of the various martial arts, including arnis. This accounts for his fine physique, which complements his matinee-idol looks.

JM has the virtue of loyalty. He can earn much more in television, for instance, but chooses from time to time to perform for peanuts in his alma mater Dulaang UP, the semi-professional theater arm of the state university.

“Nonstop ang learning sa Dulaang UP,” he notes. “… kaya bumabalik ako dito para tuloy-tuloy ang learning.” He is currently appearing in the adaptation of Francisco Baltazar’s (Balagtas) Orosman at Zafira, another epic poem at the Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater, UP Diliman, until Aug. 29 (call 926-1349).

JM is cast as Zelim, who is instrumental in bringing peace to the warring Muslim tribes. He drew on his martial arts expertise to choreograph the fight scenes. The play is directed by Dexter M. Santos, JM’s mentor.

In films, his meatiest role to date was in Danny Añonuevo’s Rekrut, one of the outstanding movies in the recent Cinemalaya filmfest. This was based on the Jabidah massacre of the late ‘60s, during the Marcos administration.

Muslim youths were recruited and trained in Corregidor for a secret mission to invade Sabah. Hitches developed, however, and the salaries were not forthcoming. When the trainees protested and mutinied, they were mowed down.

The scandal that broke out resulted in a Senate investigation. As an Associated Press staffer, I covered these hearings. I remember the officer who testified; he was a Muslim convert who disappeared afterwards and was never heard from again. The scuttle butt was that he had been liquidated.

Rekrut, shot in Maragondon, Cavite, generally followed this storyline but of course there were many fictional incidents and characters. As a Christian among Muslims, JM had to learn Visayan through YouTube and, like the rest of the cast, underwent rigid training to prepare for the role. The result was fine ensemble acting, with JM giving his best performance to date.

At a tender age, this actor is already thinking about the future. So how does he visualize himself five years from now?

“I would like to start a business,” he says. “Kahit ano. Ngayon wala pa akong maisip. Ngayon kailangan magtrabaho at magtrabaho at magtrabaho, para magkaroon ng puhunan. Hindi pang-habang buhay itong propesyon, pero hindi pa rin ako titigil sa acting.”