Luis: Marriage or politics?

MANILA, Philippines - Guess which will come first for Luis Manzano: Marriage or politics?

The TV host isn’t one to shy away from talking about settling down or throwing his hat into the political ring, otherwise tricky topics for celebs (as their words might haunt them when things don’t go as hoped). But Luis is Luis, usually open and outspoken in interviews, prompting this question on possibilities during an exclusive chat prior to his launch as endorser of the Say No to Ngilo campaign of toothpaste brand Sensodyne in collaboration with the Philippine Dental Association.

“Good question! It would have to be getting married. I don’t have a timetable yet but (I’m thinking about it) because I’m not getting any younger. It’s scary if I don’t have a goal in terms of matters of the heart,” Luis told The STAR. 

He admitted that he’s been having “casual” marriage discussions with on-again girlfriend Angel Locsin. “Because I’m 32, and Angel is turning 29, we’re not hiding our relationship and all roads lead to that path. So, hopefully, very soon, we’ll get settled down…”

Luis is chalking up his reconciliation with Angel to fate. While there are questions on how they seemed to have picked up where they have left off just like that, he said, “Let’s not forget that we already have history. There’s not that much getting-to-know-you involved. Second is, based on what happened, you know, I had my partner, she had her partner, if you look at it from a bigger picture, it looks like there was a connivance because two weeks yung pagitan ng break-up namin (with their exes).”

But contrary to some perceptions, he maintained that they never communicated prior to that. “The thing is, I’ve never seen her or talked to her in three to four years. The only time I got to talk to her was halos after Christmas na. I didn’t even get to greet her on Christmas. There was even a time, I was doing Minute To Win It, and she was co-hosting It’s Showtime!, our dressing rooms were right beside each other, but we would never see each other, it was constant iwasan, effort iwasan.”

As they say, things just happen, and it seems that way for the reunited sweethearts. Luis recalled, “We were both expecting there would be pain. I guess that’s why it took so long for us to meet up. But after meeting up, there was no negativity, no pain, maybe there were one or two walls. But after spending five to 10 minutes together, the walls were down.”

So, now the wedding talk and all that. Is Angel as open to it as he is? “She has no choice,” Luis laughed.

As for politics, Luis made it clear that he’s very open to it. “I’m very open to it. But at this very moment you’re asking me, nothing yet (plans). But you’ll never know.”

When told that should he enter politics, his biggest endorser would be his mom, Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos, he said, “Don’t forget it’s even harder for artists to get into politics, especially now. You could have the best endorsement but at the end of the day, if they don’t trust you, they won’t vote for you. I’d rather rely on what I could give and what I can offer than who endorses me. My parents, they never influenced me. My mom only asks me if I have plans. But I told her, ‘Mom not yet.’”

Meanwhile, Luis is taking on a new hosting project, The Voice of the Philippines kids edition, which will air soon. “We have finished our blind auditions. And it’s crazy how talented the children are. And I think it’s a blessing and a curse for the Philippines to have so many good singers. It’s a blessing we can always brag to the world, it’s a curse because it’s very hard to stand out.”

Right after The Voice, there are plans for another game show but “we’re trying to fix some details with the franchise.”

Saying that he’s in the “right zone and right place to be” with hosting, he believes that “the good thing about being a host, it has better shelf life. Being a leading man, chances are if you have a family, medyo they’ll have to repackage you, if you have a kid, they’ll have to repackage you. Second, you can’t be a leading man until you’re 40 or 45, but my dad (Edu Manzano) was hosting Game Ka Na Ba until he was 50-something — and he’s still hosting. So I guess, your longevity in the industry is pretty safe if you’re an OK host. I guess it’s a question of me learning and adapting that’s why I prefer hosting.”

That he’s probably the male Kapamilya star who’s getting the most hosting jobs should be proof enough of his hosting caliber, but Luis won’t call himself “magaling.” “I know my faults. I know that I talk too fast. I know that sometimes, I stutter. I’d rather say I’m comfortable than I’m magaling.”

 And he still gets scared. “When I host, I still have nerves. I still say a quick prayer before I step on stage. In fact, when I hosted for my bestfriend’s wedding, I was shaking. My friend looked at me, saying, ‘Kinakabahan ka pa rin sa hosting?’ I said yes, which is very good because it gives you something to rise above. The moment I stopped getting scared or nervous, I should be scared.”

Luis is entering his 11th year in the industry. But even with his showbiz pedigree, he has managed to step out of his parents’ shadow. He admitted that when he was starting out, he was in it for the money. “But afterwards, you see something. You see fulfillment. You see that not everybody is given this chance. Not everyone is given this blessing to have a bit of influence.”

This influence is also why top consumer brands like Sensodyne from the British multinational company GlaxoSmithKline (which is trying to penetrate the mass market by introducing the product in affordable sachets) are tapping Luis as endorser. Luis claimed though, “I’m not just an endorser; I’m a consumer.”

At the Say No To Ngilo event (to drum up awareness on combating teeth sensitivity), Luis was his candid self, drawing laughs from the audience also made up of members of the Philippine Dental Association when he revealed his fear of dental procedures to the extent that he would be sedated in his visits to the dentist. This admission, according to GSK Philippines health care general manager Jeoffrey Yulo, makes Luis an even more credible “endorser.” “We want to get not really endorsers or ambassadors but really consumers, that they talk about their real experiences. (Luis) is being true to himself. It makes him an even more credible endorser because despite that, he’s not afraid of saying, I have a solution and the solution worked for me.”