Thursday, October 30, 2008

Piolo Pascual On How To Be Smart In Life

More than 10 years in showbiz has not slowed down Piolo Pascual one bit. A self-professed workaholic, Piolo fills his days with taping for shows, commercials and movies. He also trains for whatever role he has on his plate and travels a lot for shoots ¯most recently to Canberra, Australia for his movie with Angel Locsin, set for release in November.
But even workaholics need their breaks, and the 31-year old actor loves to rest and sleep a lot when he gets the time. “I try to get as much rest as I can. I go to the gym. If I have more time, I try to watch movies. I love watching movies, that’s my passion. I love watching in theaters because you get a different feeling and you get to appreciate it even more,” he shares. His love for his craft certainly encompasses the other aspects of his life and shows in his eyes and the way he talks about acting and the art of the filmmaking industry.
Piolo is also into horseback riding and was excited by the fact that he was already able to canter and gallop after just an hour of training when he started the sport. “Other than this, I like scuba diving. If I had the luxury of time, I’d just go to Anilao and dive with my friends. Try to discover more about the coral reefs. If I have more time, I’d love to go to Tubbatha Reef. Every year, I plan to go but I end up not going because of my schedule.”
The success that Piolo has accomplished can partly be attributed to how he has stayed grounded and compassionate. Piolo serves as an Ambassador of Haribon, an organization dedicated to the conservation of Philippine biodiversity. He extends a helping hand by volunteering for Gawad Kalinga. This rare and exceptional passion for helping stems from Piolo’s strong faith. The actor is active in church and leads a small group in his parish.
He also believes that education is vital which is why he sets up a school and even his own foundation. Piolo does all this anonymously and the people he helps are not even aware that they are being helped by the Piolo Pascual. Being a father, he knows how important it is to inject the right values and give children good formation.“I really encourage the youth to go to school. If they don’t have the money, we try to support them and we also try to get support from other people who have better means,” Piolo shares.
The actor sees the youth of today as more aggressive and more practical. Since technology is all over the place, people have to learn how to keep up. There are better opportunities and it is up to people to grab and make the best out of these opportunities. Everything has become accessible which means people have to be more knowledgeable about working around people and machines.
One of the more important “machines” in Piolo’s life is his mobile phone. It allows him to reach out and be reached by other people. It used to be just an accessory and a luxury item because only few could afford to buy a mobile phone but now, it’s important to have one for practical reasons. “It’s so you won’t get lost. So you can find your way around the metropolis, check where your friends are, check movie schedules. It’s really something that you need to get by.”
“What’s important is you have a good heart and a positive way of living. What keeps me grounded is knowing that none of these are mine, everything comes from the Lord and he can just take back anything he gives you.” At his age, Piolo has already achieved and proven many things but he has no plans of stopping. The plan is to move ahead and keep progressing so he can leave something that the next generation can learn from. /MP

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