Anton Antenorcruz: The TNT singer who flies

As I’ve been saying, there’s a singing doctor (Nonoy Zuñiga), a singing nurse (Kuh Ledesma), a singing lawyer (Dot Ramos Balasbas-Gancayco)…and now, a singing flight attendant.

During the year-long search in It’s Showtime’s widely-followed Tawag Ng Tanghalan (TNT), Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight attendant Anton Paolo Antenorcruz wowed the show’s followers after his soulful rendition of the Side A song Forevermore not only with good voice but also with his good looks…a star material, according to his fans that grew in number as the elimination proceeded, winnowed from almost a thousand that auditioned nationwide to 12 and then to only six who competed in the grand finals held last June 2 at Aliw Theater.

Anton finished No. 4, missing the No. 3 spot by a mere .10, thus losing to contest “veteran” Janine Berdin (grand-prize winner), Ato Arman (second) and Steven Paysu (third). But to his fans, Anton will always be the winner.

The eldest of three siblings, Anton, 25, readily won the hearts of Showtime viewers when he was filmed during a PAL flight from Manila to GenSan. The other contestants were accorded the same amenity, shot in their respective “comfort zones” or residence and place of work. Anton has been with PAL for more than four years, eternally grateful for the airline’s support (like it accorded Bianca Manalo, another flight attendant who competed and won Bb. Pilipinas-Universe in 2009) and for allowing the Showtime staff and crew to film in-flight.

“The video showed a day in my life as a flight attendant,” recounted Anton. “The crew followed me from the time I was preparing at home, checking in at the airport, boarding the plane and taking care of the passengers.”

VER PAULINO

Asked which was more nerve-wracking, the turbulence, especially during a long haul or the TNT “suspense,” Anton said, “The contest. Kasi sanay na kaming mga flight attendant sa turbulence. Sobrang kaba ko during the grand finals. I guess that the other contestants felt the same way, too.”

Actually, joining a singing contest is nothing new to Anton who looks up to Kyla, Jay-R and Gary Valenciano as his idols. In 2009 when he was 16, Anton competed in the GMA talent search Are You The Next Big Star and lost to Frencheska Farr.

“I reached up to the Top 16 but I was dropped during the second elimination round,” recalled Anton sans bitterness. “That same year, I took up a course in Music at UP and at the same time joined the Ryan Cayabyab Singers, but I quit after only seven months.”

After graduating from Music school, Anton worked as an assistant manager of a watch shop in Singapore, only to come home to audition for the 2012 X Factor won by KZ Tandingan. Disappointed (“Because I was giving up so much, sacrificing so much”), Anton returned to Singapore where he worked for one year as an authorized service provider at Apple, only to come home to resume his quest for singing glory.

In 2014, he joined PAL and, last year, applied for an “indefinite leave” while he competed in TNT.

“Singing is really my passion,” Anton said. “My PAL bosses were supportive. They saw what a big dream it is for me to be recognized as a singer.”

His colleagues are also behind him. During lulls in flight, he would sing (silently now, so as not to disturb the passengers) with them.

Incidentally, isn’t it a brilliant idea if PAL hired Anton as the airline’s “Ambassador with a friendly smile?” He would be PAL’s big asset, wouldn’t he be?

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)