Enchong Dee: Good guy comes in first

MANILA, Philippines - In many ways, Enchong Dee is like any young person. A fro-yo a day keeps him happy. He still likes to watch movies on the first day that they are released, or at least on the first week of release. A trip to Disneyland turns him into a kid again. And yet, in many ways, he is unlike most young people. On his first trip to the States, yes, he did make that obligatory trip to the popular amusement parks, but he also made sure to see a touring exhibit of the treasures of King Tut as he has a deep curiosity about Ancient Egypt. No matter how jam-packed his schedule may be or how exhausted he is from tapings, shoots, and rehearsals, he makes sure to go to Sunday Mass. And for four grueling years, he would wake up at 5 a.m. to make it to a 6 a.m. training session for swimming, then start classes at 8 a.m., and then from Taft Avenue, trek to ABS-CBN or sometimes, to out-of-town locations for his television shows. 

Those early mornings and endless nights have not been for naught. He was a consistent dean’s lister at De La Salle University. He has back-to-back Most Valuable Player in Swimming awards from the UAAP, as he won seven gold medals for his alma mater. He was a silver medalist in the SEA Games in 2005, and was part of the National Swimming Team that competed in the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar and the 2007 SEA Games in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. As for his showbiz career, he has gone from strength to strength. He headlined the afternoon show Boystown, and the primetime top-rater Katorse. He will soon star in Magkaribal, with Gretchen Barretto and Bea Alonzo, and in Sa ’Yo Lamang, a Star Cinema project with acting heavyweights Christopher de Leon and Lorna Tolentino. And he is only 20 years old! 

A great part of this burgeoning career is that Enchong is proactive in the development of his career. Though he does make it a point to be hard worker, and to always be a cheerful and accommodating team player, he is also aware that he needs constant growth. As he says, “What I did last year, I can’t keep on doing it this year.”

For 2010, he is proud to be launching the very first “E-Day,” a celebration for his fans that is also a fundraiser for Manila Boystown and will be held today at the Glorietta Activity Center. Read on, as Enchong speaks for himself on how E-Day 2010 came to be, and his true dream role.

PHILIPPINE STAR: What was the first seed of an idea that brought about E-Day 2010?

ENCHONG: It all started with Taylor Swift. I was scanning channels, and I saw Taylor Swift touring a fan around her house. She was showing that fan where she writes her songs, and I began to think, “I want to do that, too.” I don’t want to just answer questions about intrigues and all that, but really show a fan who I am and how I got to be this person. The more I discussed it with my management, the more the idea grew. They said, “Let’s just make it a fans’ day.” But I didn’t want all the attention to be on me. So I thought that the day should also have a charity angle, and since I did Boystown, I have become more and more aware that there are lots of young kids who don’t get a good break in life. They are intelligent, they are talented, but they just need a little push, a little help. So we will be accepting donations for Boystown on that day. There’s that Filipino custom that we give our first salary to our parents, so that we can have more suerte (good fortune) in our career. I already did that. This fundraising is a way of expanding on that tradition, since this is my first fans’ day, and I also want to give back. 

And so the idea just kept on growing. There will also be a mini-concert of some kind. I watched the Super Junior (a Korean boyband) concert and got ideas for the stage. So there will be a lot to see on that day.

What was your childhood dream?

(With sheepish grin) I always wanted to be famous. At first I thought, “Maybe it will be through swimming.” So I really focused on it, putting my whole self into it. Back then, I was so determined that I really worked hard during swimming practices. Until now, I get to harvest the fruits of all my labor.

For a while, I even thought that it might be politics. But now, I know that swimming was just to be a stepping stone to what I was meant to do.

Why were you so determined to stay in school, even as modeling, and then show business beckoned?

There really is no limit to a person’s capability to learn. Education is a weapon and a treasure. A weapon because it protects you from ignorance. A treasure because once you have it, no one can take it away from you. But at the same time, it’s a treasure that keeps on giving because you can share it with others without ever losing it. 

(As an actor) You don’t really think that you can affect people. I didn’t think that I would become a role model. But now, I want to be able to inspire kids who want to swim or be in any sport. I also want to be an ambassador of both education and sports. I want to tell them, “Don’t be like me. Create your own you.”

You have a very good relationship with your parents, and yet in Tanging Yaman, you play a battered child. How were you able to do that?

When we started doing Tanging Yaman, I was still taping Katorse, so it was so hard to be doing two characters at once. And in fact, when I first got the script, I really did wonder if I could play that. But now, even our directors are asking me, “Mayroon ka bang pinaghuhugutan?” (Do you have any life experiences to draw from?) Well, I have friends who have had similar experiences, and the trust that they put in me, to confide in me, I was able to put that in my role.

Do you enjoy being famous?

I don’t like to think of myself as famous. When people tease me, “Sikat ka na (You’re so well-known),” I just say, “Change topic, change topic.” I just like to think that the trip to success is the best part compared to the success itself.

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It’s been quite a trip. From Naga, where a six-year-old kid was learning to swim, and by seven was named the best in his age group in the entire Luzon, to the bright lights of Philippine television and movies and the most wonderful thing is that it’s all just the beginning.

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Celebrate with “it-boy” Enchong Dee on his very first thanksgiving day, “E-Day 2010: The Enchong Dee Tour,” happening today, 6 p.m. at the Glorietta Activity Center and the meet-and-greet at 7 p.m. at the Glorietta 5 Atrium.