Is Pepe Herrera the millennial Rene Requiestas?

“He is my new Rene Requiestas!”

Regal Matriarch Lily Monteverde was eyeing Pepe Herrera from the sidelines during the recent presscon that formally introduced Pepe as the newest Regal Baby, paired with Ritz Azul in The Hopeful Romantic, his first starring movie directed by Topel Lee.

Mother Lily was referring to the late comedian whom Regal recruited from theater and cast in a wacky comedy called Pido Dida that had a sequel before Rene hit it big(ger) as Joey de Leon’s sidekick in a series of Tarzan-inspired flicks. That was more than 25 years ago when perhaps Pepe was just a baby.

“I have a feeling that Pepe will make it,” Mother Lily told movie writers standing beside her.

With his bushy moustache and a bit more, Pepe does look like Rene, dubbed at that time as an “unlikely leading man,” the same tag attached to Empoy Marquez when he was paired with Alessandra de Rossi in Kita Kita that stunned the industry when it became a huge hit (grossing more than P350M). Whatever slight similarity ends there.

Touted as “the accidental star,” Jose Nikolas Emmanuel “Pepe” Herrera graduated in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the UST Conservatory of Music. He was born to a middle-class family in Caloocan City and spent most of his life in Quezon City. His mom is a teacher and his dad a government employee.

“My passion for music started when I was in high school at PWU JASMS,” Pepe told Funfare. “I was active in extra-curricular activities especially with the music club. At UST, I was a member of Coro Tomasiño, a popular choral group on the campus.”  

Detecting Pepe’s love for music, his mom encouraged him to take up a course in music instead of Fine Arts, his first choice because he thought there was more money in advertising.

“I will never forget what my mom told me, ‘kung saan ka magaling at kung saan ka masaya, ‘yon ang piliin mo at kusang darating ang pera’.” Well, mothers do know best.

After college, Pepe worked as a waiter in a cruise ship, moonlighting as a singer at night.

“That’s when I realized that I wanted singing to be my means of living. For a while, I was also a music teacher until I ventured into acting.”

His debut as an actor was a supporting role in the 2014 Kapamilya soap Forevermore starring Enrique Gil and Liza Soberano. He got his big break as Benny, the sidekick of Coco Martin in Ang Probinsyano. And now comes The Hopeful Romantic in which he plays Jess, a 33-year-old valet parking attendant at a five-star hotel, a certified virgin who promised that he would lose “it” only when he found true love. Then he meets Ritz’s character Veronica, the kept woman of a rich man, at the hotel bar.            

Get to know more about Pepe from a Q&A:

Has it sunk in that you are a bida in your first movie?

“Not yet. It will probably sink in after our premiere night. Right now, my mind is too preoccupied with promotion and other movie-related preparations, although I am enjoying every moment right now.”

How did this unconventional pairing (with Ritz Azul) happen?

“I was just informed one day by the Regal Entertainment team that after several script revisions, they got Ritz onboard. I was really happy with their decision because I already worked with Ritz in Ang Probinsyano and I loved her vibe. I am comfortable around her.”

Are you in real life as hopefully romantic as Jess, your character in the movie?

“Yes, since birth. Hehehehe!!!” 

How did you bag the role as Coco’s sidekick in Ang Probinsyano?

“We worked together on the movie You’re My Boss. Our location was Batanes and I admired how he interacted with the locals. He loved them as much as they loved him. Doon nagsimula ang pagkakaibigan namin, tapos siguro natuwa siya sa akin kaya kinuha niya ako sa Probinsyano. Hehehe! Tinawagan niya lang po ako one night asking if I could be his sidekick and I said yes right away.”

Pepe and Ritz with Hopeful Romantic director Topel Lee (left) and Ahwel Paz who plays a DOM in the movie which opens nationwide on Wednesday, Sept. 12.

Having graduated with a degree in music and with so many followers on social media, will music now play second fiddle to your acting career?

“For now. But I am planning on working on my own music soon. Music is my first love so I will always go back to making music.”

If you were to court a pretty girl like Ritz in real life, how would you do it?

“I love going on nature trips with a woman I adore so I’ll start with that. I will get to know her while we are enjoying the company of our beaches and mountains. I’ll invite her also to shows that I’m a part of and I’ll sing for her.”

Do you have a girlfriend (if you have, describe her)?

“Right now, I am single sir.”

I don’t think you are still, like Jess, a virgin. So when did you lose ‘it?’ To a younger woman, older woman or a woman your age?

“I lost it to the woman I loved when I was in college. She was older by a year. She is now happily married but we are in very good terms. I am very happy for her, actually.”

Papa Ahwel’s ‘ribbon diplomacy’

Did you know that everybody’s papa, Ahwel Paz, has more than 300 ribbons in his collection, some of which he gives away to his fans?

“I always bring some with me when I go to the mall with my family,” said Ahwel who established his beribboned personality on the dzMM show Show Buzz (Monday thru Friday, 10:30 to 11 p.m.), co-hosted with Jobert Sucaldito. “Maraming humihingi and I don’t want to disappoint them.”

That’s his “ribbon diplomacy” which jibes with his college degree, International Studies (as a scholar of Pres. Cory Aquino).

“One time,” recalled Papa Ahwel, “a Chinese guy had a selfie with me. He told me that his 91-year-old grandmother wouldn’t take his medicine until after she saw the color of the ribbon I was wearing on Good Vibes (his other show with Niña Corpuz, aired on the same station after lunch also Monday thru Friday).”

Besides co-hosting Show Buzz and Good Vibes, Papa Ahwel moonlights as an actor. So far, he has done several cameo roles (Rakiteros, The Lookout, Only You, Etiquette For Mistresses, Kamandag ng Droga and Bhoy Intsik for which he was named New Movie Actor by the PMPC Star Awards).

In Regal Entertainment’s The Hopeful Romantic, Papa Ahwel plays another “cameo,” as a DOM with whom Ritz Azul flirts at a bar. “It’s a short but memorable appearance,” said Papa Ahwel. “Mayroong twist.”

Away from showbiz, he’s preoccupied with his role as consultant of JAICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency).

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