He gets a high from flying & singing

Up 30,000 feet in the sky, closer to heaven as the Jose Mari Chan Philippine Airlines (PAL) song aptly puts it, flight attendant Anton Antenorcruz gets a high as the plane soars far from the crowd into the stars, prompting him (and his colleagues for that matter) to leave their worries behind and simply let their spirit fly.

Asked which gives him the most “high,” flying or singing, Anton, 29, said, “Both. I love singing and flying, and I get fulfillment from both. Parehas lang. I can help people both ways. In singing, I entertain people. As an F/A, I can help travelers. Both singing and flying have brought me to different places. You know, when people ask me that question, maybe they expect me to say na ‘yung isa nakalamang sa isa. Hmmmm, actually in the beginning, I seemed to favor one over the other. But now, patas na sila.”

During the pandemic, Anton has flown twice, first to China on a cargo flight and then to Saudi Arabia on a regular flight with the number of passengers limited to 50 and the cabin crew to 18 (excluding the pilot and co-pilot). It was a turn-around flight, almost 10 hours to Dammam and the same time back to Manila.

All dressed up and set to fly. ‘PAL sees to it that we are safe and protected,’ says Anton who has flown twice during this pandemic. ‘The cabin crew and passengers strictly observe the protocols.’

The passengers as well as the flight crew must have tested negative (swab testing required) and strictly observe the protocols (disinfecting feet on alcohol-soaked mat at the entrance, wearing face mask and face shield, social distancing [seated far apart] and going on a 14-day quarantine). Anton takes extra precautions like taking 1,000 mg. Vitamin C, multi-vitamins, fish oil, etc.

“PAL sees to it that we are taken care of before, during and after the flight,” stressed Anton. “I’m very happy that even during the pandemic, nakaka-trabaho pa rin ako and our airline continues to serve the people.”

It’s Showtime viewers remember Anton as the good-looking contestant (a star material) on the show’s Tawag Ng Tanghalan (TNT) segment who won several cheering fans during the year-long search, especially after his soulful rendition of the Side A song Forevermore. Anton lost the battle but won the war, finishing No. 4, missing the No. 3 spot by a mere point ten (.10) thus losing to contest “veteran” Janine Berdin (grand-prize winner), Ato Arman (second) and Steven Paysu (third). But to his fans, Anton will always be the winner.

Patuloy ang Pangarap, his grand-finals song, has become his personal anthem.

“I am the type who doesn’t easily give up,” stressed Anton, the eldest of three siblings. “As a kid, I wanted to be No. 1, a singer and, No. 2, a flight attendant. So I joined contests in GMA and ABS-CBN but I always ended up a loser. So I gave up singing and applied as a flight attendant at PAL. And then I started to miss singing, so I joined Tawag Ng Tanghalan.”

PAL supported Anton all the way like it did to Bianca Manalo when she competed in the 2009 Bb. Pilipinas pageant and won Bb. Pilipinas-Universe. The grand-finals video showed a day in the life of Anton, from the time he was preparing at home, checking in at the airport, boarding the plane to taking care of the passengers. He took an indefinite leave from PAL during the TNT.

Asked during this interview which was more nerve-wracking, the turbulence, especially during a long haul or the TNT “suspense,” Anton said, “The contest. Kasi sanay na kaming mga flight attendant sa turbulence. Sobrang kaba ko during the grand finals. I guess that the other contestants felt the same way, too.”

Anton took up a course in Music at UP and at the same time joined the Ryan Cayabyab Singers, but quit after only seven months. After graduating from Music school, Anton worked as an assistant manager of a watch shop in Singapore, only to come home to audition for the 2012 X Factor won by KZ Tandingan. Disappointed (“Because I was giving up so much, sacrificing so much”), Anton returned to Singapore where he worked for one year as an authorized service provider at Apple, only to come home to resume his quest for singing glory.

In 2014, he joined PAL and, last year, applied for an “indefinite leave” while he competed in TNT.

“Singing is really my passion,” Anton said. “My PAL bosses were very supportive. They saw what a big dream it is for me to be recognized as a singer.”

His colleagues were also behind him. During lulls in flight, he would sing (silently now, so as not to disturb the passengers) with them. Incidentally, isn’t it a brilliant idea if PAL hired Anton as the airline’s “Ambassador with a Friendly Smile?” He would be PAL’s big asset, wouldn’t he be?

“He’s really an asset to the company,” agreed PAL official spokesperson Cielo Villaluna. “He’s always ready when we invite him to sing during our events.”

Darna shoot put off

Here’s an official announcement from Star Cinema:

The rights to Darna remain with ABS-CBN as it decides to postpone the film production indefinitely after careful deliberation on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on movie production and cinemas.

We are committed to following production guidelines under the new normal and the safety of the actors and production team is a top priority. However, because the movie requires complex logistics, crowd shots and fight scenes that involve physical contact, it will be difficult to give justice to the superhero film while strictly adhering to the guidelines.

We are still in the midst of an unprecedented health crisis that makes it also difficult to assess when cinemas will recover and see audiences returning.

We thank the cast, staff and production crew for all the hard work they put into the project. We are also grateful to the Ravelo family, the Darna fans, and the public for their unrelenting support and understanding.

Unlocked in ContentAsia Awards

Unlocked, a film directed by Adolf Alix Jr. about relationships put to the test during lockdown, is nominated in the Best Quarantine-Themed Drama/Feature/Programme category in the inaugural presentation of Cinema Asia Awards, a pandemic moment that has highlighted the gigantic demand for screen-based content.

The ContentAsia Awards are owned and operated by ContentAsia, a 14-year-old information platform curated to offer insights into Asia’s content environment. The winners will be announced in a live stream from the ContentAsia Awards Theatre and on social media platforms on Friday, Aug. 28.

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)