Kapuso stars light up City of Smiles

BACOLOD, Philippines — A strong pool of Kapuso stars visited Bacolod City last Sunday and Monday (Oct. 11 and 12) to entertain their fans in the so-called City of Smiles. They were actually greeted with shrieks and loud applauses filling up the atmosphere at SM Bacolod main atrium each time one of them appears on stage.

Two highly-touted female figures, Lovi Poe and Julie Anne San Jose, led a bunch of popular pretty boys in drumming up this year’s celebration of MassKara Festival at the capital of Negros Occidental. The gang of heartthrobs, namely, Jake Vargas, Julian Trono, Benjamin Alves, Fabio Ide and Ken Chan, dominated the pack in numbers, translating to thunderous yells from teenage girls who readied themselves with fan signs and flash-on cameras.     

“Ang daming maganda sa Bacolod!” exclaimed Julian, arguably the recipient of the loudest response from the crowd, especially while performing a dance number oozing with attitude and grace.

The Kapuso celebrities, promoting ongoing separate drama series they’re cast in, were brought into the city a week before the highlight of the MassKara Festival. But their mere presence provided enough colors to match the anticipation.

Lovi and Benjamin came in at the Sunday mall show as part of the afternoon soap Beautiful Strangers, while Ken and Fabio promoted the transgender series Destiny Rose which airs daily at 4:30. Then, the trio of J’s — Julie Anne, Julian and Jake — stormed the Bacoleños country the following afternoon, thanking supporters glued to watching Buena Familia.

Ken, who rendered his version of True Faith’s Tanging Ikaw, had some meaningful words to say considering his character Joey in the gender-sensitive drama is set to make an intriguing transformation in the days to come. “I feel so blessed and thankful that I’m portraying the role ng isang babae na trap sa katawan ng isang lalaki. Matutunghayan nyo po ang pinakamagandang transformation on TV.”

For young female fans, seeing Ken in flesh and in his straight-guy mode was the order of the day. Some of them hustled their way up to be serenaded by Ken himself; one named Beverly even insisted on sitting on his lap. 

The singer-actor, who admitted being challenged physically and emotionally in preparing for his role, is paired with actor-model Fabio who plays his love interest Gabrielle. The foreigner diligently working on his Tagalog showed his class at the mall show by giving one fan a moment to thank her for a fan sign she held up.

“Super masaya ang vibes dito,” he remarked with an accent everybody finds cute.      

The display of colors through specially-designed masks and dresses make MassKara Festival very noted. Kapuso stars have been flying in regularly to celebrate with the people of Bacolod. But according to Oliver Amoroso, GMA’s head for regional strategy and business development division, this year’s visit proved to be the most engaging and thrilling yet, proving how well-received the soaps involving the stars are among Bacoleños. Indeed, the pathway of the Kapuso stars had to be detoured because the lanes were usually too crowded with fans and onlookers.

“Every year, GMA is always happy to celebrate with the Bacoleños. Bringing Kapuso stars is our way of extending the network’s gratitude for Bacolod City’s unwavering support,” he said.

Well, the sense of fan hysteria was taken with real heartwarming affection. Benjamin, who delighted the audience with his take on Bruno Mars’ Just The Way You Are, acknowledged that by waving his hand towards anyone he sees smiling or screaming. Knowing that Beautiful Strangers is regularly seen by the very people watching him in person, he noted, “Sobrang intense po ng mga mangyayari sa Beautiful Strangers. May wedding ulit na magaganap dahil naudlot yung natunghayan nyo. Hindi ko yata kaya iwanan ako sa altar ng dalawang beses!”

Amusingly, the apparent main acts for both mall shows attended by mostly young girls eyeing for heartthrobs were, uhm, ladies. And both did not disappoint as Lovi, who sang A Thousand Years and Julie Anne, who performed her hit Tidal Wave, earned the adulation in the same breadth — or to some extent even more — as with their male counterparts.

The message seemed clear: If the girl fans want to have a piece of their celebrity crushes, they idolize the lady stars for their inspiring success.

Asked which of her experience in Beautiful Strangers so far made the biggest impression, she mused, “It’s my sampalan scene with Boyet de Leon.”

The characters of both Julie Anne and Jake are romantically linked in Buena Familia and that chemistry is one of the soap’s strengths. “We just let things go naturally po,” enthused Jake, a family breadwinner first associated with the program Walang Tulugan, being German Moreno’s prized talent.

 For Julie Anne whose comfort zone is obviously singing, she takes acting as a diversion that significantly helps her growth as a versatile artist. “I am so happy with all the blessings I’m enjoying and working with my fellow Kapuso artists, whether on a teleserye or a variety show, really means a lot to me.”

The people of Bacolod City, known for its famed Negrense delicacy Piaya that also represents well its reputation as “sugar capital” of the Philippines, will certainly welcome back Kapuso stars year in and out, according them with oh-so-sweet hospitality.