Ryan to welcome 2016 with new family member

MANILA, Philippines –  Ryan Agoncillo is ready to welcome the year 2016 with his Baby No. 3 with wife Judy Ann Santos, who is due to give birth anytime now. And it’s going to be a girl whom he and Judy Ann have already named Juana Luisa, or Luna for short.

The Agoncillo couple is definitely looking forward to the next addition to the family after several years of waiting and being ever vocal of their desire to give their two children Johanna “Yohan” Louise, 10 and Juan “Lucho” Luis, five, another sibling. 

According to the TV host/actor, the exact due date their doctor gave them is Dec. 31 but with their previous experience with Lucho, who came out a week in advance, they’re bracing themselves for an early surprise.  

“You know, we started out not really thinking of how many kids we were going to have. But when we had two, my wife was all of a sudden, hey you know what, let’s have another one. Aangal pa ba ako, right? (laughs),” Ryan.  

“So, we are blessed again with a third child. We’ll see! They say that the third child is a game-changer. This is a time when your kids form their own world apart from the parents, so we’re preparing for that and the arrival of Luna.”

Apart from the emotional preparation, fans have also seen the physical preparation that Judy Ann has done. Two months ago, the very preggy Judy Ann still managed to do a headstand pose as seen on her Instagram.

With kids Yohan and Lucho and wife Judy Ann Santos, who is due to give birth to their third child named Luna anytime soon

Some reacted with worry, but Ryan isn’t worried at all. Being fitness buffs, Ryan explained that the actress is simply making herself stronger considering that “she had Lucho five years ago (and) she was a lot younger then. Her preparations (included) yoga. We had advanced through the years … We have to make ourselves fitter and stronger this time around. Rest assured, we have a professional on board (helping her).”

In a previous interview, Judy Ann said that her third pregnancy has made her and Ryan “more bonded” as a couple. Their marriage is being looked up in the industry and oft-cited by showbiz fans as a “relationship goal” for their favorite love teams given that their love story started after being paired up on a teleserye.

Ryan doesn’t want to offer tips to famous showbiz tandems like his fellow Eat, Bulaga mainstay and the “hottest” love team in town AlDub who may (or may not) be pressured to live out fans’ fantasies in real life. But when asked how did it work for him and Judy Ann, transitioning from reel to real, he said: “I can only talk about how we went about it. Kami ni Judy Ann, we knew we liked each other when we were working. But at the point when we wanted to take it a step further, we spoke to each other and made the decision not to work with each other for a year.

“We did guestings, we did a movie, but hindi yung one year na magkasama kami every day, in a soap opera or in a show that both of you shared. That’s what we did because we wanted to make sure it wasn’t a ‘concept love’ because if you’re paired up, you tend to (get carried away). So we really did it on purpose. And at that time, she had a love team with Piolo Pascual and I went back to hosting because it was just me testing out acting anyway. That’s why we ended up as a couple, that’s how we did it, I don’t know how others will go about it, so good luck!”  

Meanwhile, apart from his daily hosting duties on GMA 7’s Eat, Bulaga and starring in the weekly sitcom Ismol Family, Ryan also hosts the Philippine edition of Cash Cab, the international reality-game show where clueless passengers board a taxi only to find out they’ve joined a game show. Passengers get the chance to earn cash by answering trivia questions from “manong driver” Ryan while being driven for free to their destination. The show premiered last Dec. 22 and will resume on Jan. 7, 2016, 9:15 p.m. on AXN.

As the Cash Cab Philippines host, Ryan said, “What really prepared me for this was my drift car racing. I’m sure you really have intense moments in traffic, whether you are a passenger or the driver … (As the host,) you have to be in a cab getting radio feeds from your team who’s following you from behind and lights blaring in front of you and of course, you have your passengers who are out to get your cash (screaming answers). And also having two kids with you in traffic, talking to them and answering their questions from the driver’s seat — that’s pretty intense training (for this show).”

Among his most interesting passengers were two buddies who didn’t ask their wives’ permission that they were out late due to a night-out as well as two computer programmers, one of whom was a MENSA member, who could have won the Double or Nothing portion. “And they knew the answer to the question. That was frustrating but they still took home P23,000 cash.”  

Ryan, who shot the 13-episode series last November, was also surprised by the production when his entire family boarded the Cash Cab taxi.

“That was the last day of filming for us and the crew surprised me. That was the time I was really busy and missing my kids so much because I was driving (and shooting) all throughout the night and would come home 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning. For them to actually see what Daddy has been doing, since I was just telling them all about it over the phone, they were intrigued. For them to ride, I really gave the full experience, even the winning. It was fun, they were very proud in answering the questions. The money they won, they really kept it. Nabawasan lang ng P500 because they asked for my permission if they could buy yogurt.”

Even with their status, Ryan and Judy Ann make the effort to orient their kids to public transport. “Definitely not (their first experience to board a taxi). They do get cab rides and I’ve taken Yohan to tricycle rides but not jeepney rides yet. I really want to take them on jeepney rides. On a bus, yes. Me and Judy Ann, actually si Judy Ann, nagta-tricycle pa yan.”

He also revealed that he goes to work on a motorbike because of the terrible Manila traffic. “It’s as safe as you can make it. Di ka pwedeng barumbado,” he said, adding that it spells so much difference to be able to save and spend time, even at least one hour more, with his family at home.