Jake Cuenca admires Opus Dei founder, Piolo Pascual almost became a priest

Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.  Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

When you pray, rather let your heart be without words than your words without heart.  John Bunyan

Is the Philippines, along with a growing number of celebrities and some leaders, truly becoming more Christian in faith and in their lives, or is this just a fad?

The latest and most high-profile convert to a more Christian outlook is the world’s most famous boxer, the self-made billionaire and TV host Congressman Manny Pacquiao.

Ethel Ramos told me that it was Jeric Soriano  son of ‘50s and ‘60s actor Nestor de Villa and father of TV director Paul Soriano  and former actor Dennis Roldan who conducted a seven-day retreat at the General Santos City home of Pacquiao and his wife Jinkee. Soriano and former alleged kidnapper Roldan are now Christian pastors.

Before the “King of Comedy” Dolphy got sick, he is known to have gone to Baclaran church every Wednesday midnight. The late “King of Philippine Movies,” Fernando Poe, Jr., was also religious, reputedly walking all the way to church in Antipolo during its fiesta in May.

Former sexy stars of two different generations, Rio Locsin and Rica Peralejo, have not only changed their lives for the better with born-again Christian faith, they even married pastors. Rica  Carla Peralejo-Bonifacio  went back to school to study literature at the Ateneo de Manila University. She now reads the Bible daily and goes to church every Sunday.

One of the first stars to openly come out as a Christian is actress Coney Reyes, who told this writer her reaction to more celebrities like Gary Valenciano, Jericho Rosales and others nowadays professing their faith: “I admire them for boldly sharing their faith in obedience to the Lord. In Luke 9:26, it says, ‘If a person is ashamed of me and my message, I, the Son of Man, will be ashamed of that person when I return in my glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels.’”

Jake Cuenca admires Josemaria Escriva

Another famous actor also told me he is religious. California-born actor and new TV series Kung Ako’y Iiwan Mo co-star Jake Cuenca shared that he goes to the gym to lift weights regularly and eats healthily to maintain his lean and muscular physique, which is important for his career. His favorite sport is soccer, and he said his father is ethnic Spanish.

Success in showbiz brought changes to his life. Before Jake entered showbiz, he revealed that there were times when all the money he had in his pocket was P200 and sometimes he’d even run out of cash for the MRT fare. The actor said that, before his showbiz stardom, his former girlfriend would be the one to fetch him. “Dyahe talaga! (it was truly embarrassing!),” he laughs now. Nowadays, he is determined to build up his financial savings from his income streams, whether from TV, movies or from commercial endorsements. 

Unknown to the public and to his fans who admire his sexy image as Bench underwear model and TV star, Jake told me that he is actually “a very religious guy” who studied in the ultra-conservative Opus Dei-run private school Southridge. He said that his paternal grandmother’s brother is the former Board of Censors chief Manuel “Manoling” Morato.

Jake has old-fashioned and romantic ideas about sex. He said he doesn’t believe in “sex just for the sake of sex” in a nihilistic way as often depicted in movies or Hollywood, but believes it is special and should only be between people who “truly love each other.”

On the leader or hero on earth he looks up to, Jake surprisingly told me: “My idol is the late Opus Dei founder Josemaria Escriva, because he was really a leader, a religious leader who inspired a lot of people to love God and to follow His path. In our all-boys school, everyone  including me  aspired to be a bit like Josemaria Escriva.”

What reaction does his grand-uncle Manoling Morato have to his sexy pictorials and TV/movie scenes? Jake said with a smile: “His advice to me is ‘Always maging disente’, kahit papaano dala ko rin daw yung pangalan ng pamilya (Always be decent, because whatever happens I still carry the name of the family). My dad’s middle name is Morato, his mother is the sister of Tito Manoling.”

I told Jake that in 2009, then Senator Noynoy Aquino related to many of us at a dinner of young businessmen that during showbiz stars’ visits to their Times Street residence organized by sister Kris Aquino, two young actors had asked about the plight of Filipino soldiers.

Jake Cuenca told me it was he and Gerald Anderson, who had earlier played the roles of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) graduates in the TV drama series Tayong Dalawa. Jake shared one of his advocacies which is for our leaders to improve the living conditions resources of our soldiers who risk their lives for our safety.

When I asked how Jake reconciles his sexy image  posing for underwear billboards or portraying seemingly risqué roles for TV and film  Jake replied: “I love my craft as an actor and will continue to pose sexy if my job calls for it, but I’m still true to myself and can never forsake my upbringing. For me, God is the No. 1 priority in my life, beyond everything.”

Piolo Pascual almost became a priest, then wanted to be a pastor

Recently, I asked Piolo Pascual how he deals with many controversies and even crises in his personal life, he quickly quotes me Biblical-type passages as his response and explaining that he lifts up all his burdens to God. 

In his latest TV series Dahil Sa Pag Ibig, Piolo plays the delicate and complicated role of a Catholic priest. Coincidentally, many years ago the actor seriously contemplated joining the priesthood. After high school, he told me he had applied for seminary training and also to the University of Santo Tomas (UST), but abandoned plans of becoming a priest when he got accepted into UST.

One of the things that struck me was Piolo insisting that going to church every Sunday and reading the Bible every day is not sufficient; he urges attending Bible study sessions once a week.

When I asked if it’s true he hopes to someday become a pastor, he replied: “Yes, I had wanted to be a pastor, but my church (Victory Christian Fellowship) told me I’m more important where I am now because many are becoming pastors, but to be Christian in showbiz is important. I became a born-again Christian when I was 25 years old.”

Apart from healthy diet, good rest and regular exercise, this is Piolo’s advice for success and well-being: “Positive thinking, have faith in God, love life, avoid things bad for the health or body, keep things simple in one’s life, pray, read the Bible every day.”

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