Lotsa Hunks

"The birth of the Hunks was almost accidental," relates Bernard Palanca, one of the more outspoken members of the group. "As members of ABS-CBN’s Talent Center, we all appear regularly on ASAP, a Sunday noontime show, and get to do some numbers together. When the Summer Special was telecast live from a Batangas beach, the audience started chanting, ‘Take off your shirts! Take off your shirts!’ It was hot and we were all drenched in sweat, so we took off our shirts. They went wild. The Hunks was born."

That was in March 2001. No one ever imagined the group would last this long. It seems that their fans–teenage girls, gays, mothers, even grandmothers and kids–can’t get enough of them. Part of the reason perhaps is that individually, each has made a name for himself in the local entertainment scene. Jericho Rosales, 23-year-old star of the popular TV series Pangako sa ’Yo, is a talented actor whom critics have noted has the makings of a great dramatic actor like Christopher de Leon. Diether Ocampo, the most senior of the group at 29, has been in the business for quite a while and is now one of the most bankable actors of Star Cinema.

Twenty-two-year old Carlos Agassi, the youngest of the Hunks, is a well-known rap artist whose videos have appeared on MTV and is a regular in many ABS-CBN shows. Model turned actor Bernard Palanca, became a popular figure through the SMB commercials. Piolo Pascual, current heartthrob and the object of showbiz gossip, is a box-office draw sought-after by many TV and film producers.

The problem with the Hunks is that they were not meant to be a singing group, much less a boy band. "Only three of us can really sing–Jericho, Bernard and Piolo. I do mostly rap music," reveals Carlos matter-of-factly. This candid acknowledgement of their shortcomings is a trademark of the Hunks. They were the first to be flabbergasted to learn that their first album became a gold hit. Carlos adds, "It’s different from performing alone. With the five of us, we know our strengths and weaknesses so we can support or cover up for each other. Most of all, we’ve always had great fun doing a show together."

But musing on the possibility of indeed becoming a boy band, Jericho becomes more circumspect. "Perhaps if we decide to take our singing seriously, we could develop into something like Blue," referring to the new boy band from England composed of distinct personalities with varied vocal types and ranges. He explains, "Their music is so cool. Their sound, so now."

Watching the Hunks in music rehearsals is a surprise–they’re not all that bad. They can carry a tune and are beginning to harmonize. And would you believe, they don’t have a musical director to oversee them and their rehearsals. The boys dabble in pop tunes, rap, ballads and alternative music. Of course, it helps that Jericho and Piolo have recorded and published singles, while Carlos has done a rap album. Bernard was a lead singer with an alternative music band before he became a commercial model. With proper voice training and constant practice, they might yet make it.

The Hunks also have the other basic ingredients of a successful entertainment group–each one is uniquely attractive, all of them have well-toned bodies which they work hard to maintain, and they like being with each other. No egos, no attitudes, no conflicts. Diether elaborates, "we’ve actually grown to be quite close to each other. Carlos and I go to the gym together. Sometimes the five of us play basketball and of course we see each other every Sunday for the ASAP show."

The audience, therefore, becomes forgiving if their songs do not approximate the quality of Backstreet Boys or Side A. Idolatry takes precedence as far as the star-struck, largely female crowd is concerned. Carlos relates a wild experience. "We were performing in the United States at the Grand Auditorium in L.A. when a group of pretty young ladies rushed up the stage and licked the sweat off my chest! They also tried to pull down my drawstring pants. Ang sarap palang "ma-rape" on stage," he says, somewhat amused.

"You know, the common perception of a "hunk" is a guy who is big, strong and has a nice body but no brains. In our case, and I speak on the group’s behalf, I think we’re successful because our fans see us as more than hunks. We’d also like to think that we’ve got brains, the heart and the talent," says Bernard.

How long the group can sustain the Hunks mania is entirely up to them. They might yet take themselves more seriously as a group and get proper music and dance training. They might yet decide to hire a regular musical director to take charge of their concerts. They might try to spend more time to performing together as a group. Or if they decide otherwise, they can let the group fade away in favor of their individual paths to stardom.

But that is Hunk-future. For now, Hunkmania is at its peak: their Valentines Day concert, "First time mo? The Virgin Concert", packed the 8,000-seat Folk Arts Theater to the rafters. They’re off this month for another round of concerts in the U.S. And after that, who knows? There’s still lotsa Hunks to go around.