Dante Ponce: No place like home

When he first decided to pack his bags and return to the Philippines to resume his showbiz career, Dante Ponce wasn’t entirely sure what kind of a reception he would find. The former balladeer — who had a hit with Para Lang Sa ‘Yo back in 1993 before moving to the US where he got married and started a family — talked about exploring acting opportunities, but he didn’t expect that things would turn out this way, this fast.

Before he returned to the country, Dante had already touched base with his former management in Backroom and told them of his plans. When he got here, he did a round of press interviews and go-sees to let people know that he was back. Soon after that, he learned that he had bagged a role as General Barredo in the afternoon soap Galema: Anak ni Zuma starring Andi Eigenmann, directed by box-office director Wenn Deramas. At first, Dante was only told there was a TV project, and that he had been cast as a general — beyond that, there were no other details given.

Today, Dante is shocked to hear people call him “General!” and beg for photo-ops and autographs whenever he goes out in public. The show has been rating well and is expected to run until April. “I don’t know what it is pero kasi ang Zuma has been around for a long time, 1980s pa lang, Zuma na ‘yan. I guess now, it’s more exciting, mas modern, for a change. Maybe, people find it exciting to watch; palagi na lang they ask, ‘What’s going to happen?’”

His fans now include even children. “Surprisingly, pati mga bata na akala mo takot sa ahas, they follow the show and they know my character. Minsan, naglalakad ako, tatawagin akong ‘Gen. Barredo’ ng mga bata, pati mga security guards. Pero ‘yung totoo kong pangalan, di nila alam!”

At first, Dante says, he wasn’t sure what to expect when they told him that he was going to be cast as a general. He thought it was just going to be a minor guest role until he found out that the show’s staff had something longer in mind. “How far is this going to go? ‘Yon ang inisip ko kaagad. Pag ganyan kasi, di ba nauunang namamatay ang mga sundalo? But then a week or two into our taping, they told me, ‘You have to step it up, because that role will get deeper. You will be one of the few who will know Galema’s secret.’”

In the middle of doing Galema, Dante also took some time-off to accept a small part in the 2013 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) entry Girl, Boy, Bakla, Tomboy. When asked about other follow-up projects, Dante says he still doesn’t know the specifics, but confirms that yes, there will be others. Offers have been made but he is leaving it up to his management to decide which ones to accept. But one thing is sure, and that is Dante believes he made the right decision to leave the US and come home to the Philippines to re-launch his showbiz career. He’s grateful for Galema and the movie but he’s willing to wait until the other breaks come — as he knows they will. “Ako pa naman, my attitude is, it will come,” he says. “We’ll get there. This is what I was wanting to come back for.”

He is very happy with the way things are going. His family is also very supportive of his decision to move back here and re-launch his career. “I’m happy with what I am doing right now. I am happy that my kids and my wife are happy. Natutuwa sila. Even in California, mga kamag-anak ko doon, mga kaibigan, hanggang Canada, everybody sees it (Galema). My kids, paglabas namin, nakikita nila, magdi-dinner kami, then people come up to me and say, all of a sudden, ‘O, nandyan si General Barredo’ or they’ll call me, ‘Galema.’ It’s fun because at least I know that they’re watching the show and they recognize the character.”

For 2014, he hopes his good fortune will continue. “This year, I want to really get re-established,” says Dante. “This is what I wanted, to get into the entertainment business again. We were able to accomplish something last year with Galema, and that was a good blessing, so I’m very happy, but for 2014, kung may mga offers man, sana more challenging characters, and better exposure.”

He knows now that this is where he belongs. He misses singing and performing in front of people, and is glad that he was given a chance to come back. “I’ve always known in my mind that I’ll be back one day. I never had a doubt in my mind that I could do all these things and do them well,” he says. Indeed, the story of Dante Ponce has just begun.