The things that matter to Jericho

MANILA, Philippines - Jericho Rosales guards his privacy as fiercely as a sentry standing vigil at his post. His lips are sealed, and no amount of prying will make Jericho open it when it comes to rumored girlfriend Cesca Litton. Jericho admits he’s dating the SNN (Showbiz News Ngayon) reporter.

But he refuses to go into the details of their relationship.

“It’s important for me to have my privacy,” he explains. “Kung ako lang yon, I’ll be fine. But there are many other people involved in my life. When they’re involved with me, people tend to be interested in them also. And I make sure I do something about it.”

Doing something about it means changing the topic to his latest endorsement, Chowking’s Orange Chicken and the kick he gets out of visiting the fastfood chain’s branches.

“I went to Chowking’s Vigan branch and ordered Orange Chicken and halo-halo,” he recalls. Jericho entered the store in a baseball cap so no one recognized him. But when he looked up from the counter, the saleslady was shocked and, realizing who was standing in front of her, screamed for everyone in the staff to come over.

Such are the little thrills that gladden Jericho’s heart every now and then. And the surprising thing is that, “I do it all the time!”

Chowking managing director Edward Arandia is just as pleased. Turns out the company was looking for someone “who can do extraordinary things, like our Orange Chicken.”

Their new endorser, he adds, is an actor, a singer and a surfer all rolled into one. “Jericho is also a modern-day hero who showed his compassion for others when he helped bring victims to safety at the height of typhoon Ondoy,” adds Arandia.

Make that a young man in a hurry as well. Jericho values time so much he can’t stand being idle. And so, because he admits work on the set means hours of waiting for the camera to be set up and for fellow stars to show up, Jericho makes sure he spends his downtime wisely.

“I bring my pen and laptop to work,” he reveals just how driven he is. Jericho says he’s reviewing his to-do list on his mind, even while having lunch. The self-confessed multi-tasker sometimes invites his bandmates to come over.

Being driven, however, doesn’t prevent Jericho from having time for himself and his loved ones. In fact, it explains why he wants to squeeze everything in one moment.

“I’d rather spend time with my loved ones. It puts a smile on my face,” he explains.

In finishing many things in a day, Jericho hopes he will have enough time to enjoy his loved ones’ company. There are just so many things he can do with them by his side.

Jericho, upon his friends’ suggestion, can just enjoy the house he built for his family years back. Or, he can go surfing with friends for a much longer time than he usually does because of tapings and shootings.

Things can get tiring for him, but the thought of slowing down never occurred to him. Pacing himself has.

“Someday, I wish I can work for three months, then stay in a farm when I can already afford to buy one,” he says. The other items on his wish list show a balance between work and play.

Jericho ticks them off: Producing and directing an indie film on surfing (five years from now), a dance movie, an epic film in the mold of Ang Panday, a beach house, another house in the boondocks and yet another overlooking the ocean he loves so well.

“It’s so peaceful there,” he sighs. “It relaxes me and I can connect with God.”

Jericho also longs for the day when he can indulge the musician in him even more.

“I wish I was more of a musician,” he owns up. His management company, Genesis Entertainment, understands him. So they’re putting in acting and concert tours in his calendar. Jericho will be leaving for the US next month to hold a concert tour in key cities there.

Duty calls as an actor as well. Jericho is shooting I’ll Be There For You with KC Concepcion and her father, Gabby Concepcion for Star Cinema with Maryo J. delos Reyes as director.

It’s a new and untried tandem which Jericho refuses to call a love team in the mold of his movies with Kristine Hermosa or even Carmen Soo.

 “I don’t think KC is the type who will depend on a love team,” he observes. And Jericho himself wants to work with other leading ladies. So the love team tag won’t do.

The film, intended for a June playdate in time for Father’s Day, is light and breezy and Jericho is tickled pink at swapping stories with his new leading lady.

“God is blessing me in many ways,” says Jericho.

That’s why he always flashes a smile, even if the press hounds him about Cesca.

“Sometimes, I want to have my own space,” he muses. “But life has its ups and downs. I can handle it (the intrigues and the threats to his privacy) anyway.”

Jericho knows a celebrity life like his has its tradeoffs. And if this is the price he has to pay, so be it.

Showbiz has given him so much, Jericho won’t let this hazard of the trade bring him down.

“I was so shy before I entered showbiz. Now, I know how to speak in front of many people. I know myself more. I have this deeper sense of purposes in my life,” he says.

Jericho is done with horror films.

“If it’s just to titillate, never mind,” he explains. He has also turned down bed scenes in TV projects because of this.

Movies, he goes on are a different story. The audience is more select. So he agreed to have a bed scene with Anne Curtis in the Metro Filmfest entry Baler, where Jericho won a Best Actor trophy from the 25th Star Awards for Movies.

“I want projects that leave a positive impact on viewers. I can still play dark characters. But they must have a redeeming value in the end,” he explains.

He knows “everything comes from God.” So his work and other activities are Jericho’s way of giving back the glory to His Maker.

Success is sweet. But while he basks in it, Jericho makes sure his feet are still firmly planted on the ground.