Franco Mabanta: Fearless Comical Kid

Do you remember your childhood days, back when you were still in kindie class? Can you envision that little boy in class who cracked the corniest, most irritating jokes? Naturally, you and your playmates avoided him like the plague, while the boys in class mocked him for being such a moron. Poor guy. Seemed like he didn’t have a chance in the world.

Fast forward to a decade later, and you catch yourself staring at a billboard, scrutinizing a TV commercial, or even realizing that one of the more popular video Jocks in town is, in fact, that idiotic kid who’d pick his nose and sling it your way. And the weirdest part of it all is that he’s actually making a living out of exactly that…being his foolhardy self.

You may recall him as that irritating Jasper in that hit soft drink commercial, or that guy with fresh breath who ooohhhs and aaahhhs beautiful girls and brawny waiters. Yup, he’s the one and only Franco Mabanta.

Who would have thought that making a complete fool of himself during a timely VTR would actually send him coasting along the celebrity path? Franco himself couldn’t believe it at first. Nevertheless, thanks to his theatre background, he pulled it off just right for the commercial that opened the door to overnight success.

It has been ten years since he started performing in front of an audience. "It was a repertory Philippines workshop and I saw it. I really wasn’t into performing or anything back then, I was just a corny little kid. Then I saw a class and I’m like ‘mom there’s so many girls I want to join’, she put me in and I had a great time so since then I’ve been performing on the stage."

Funny enough though, the moh-deling thing was just an accident. He accompanied his friend to do a VTR when an agent spotted him…and the rest was pretty much history. Sound like a tale told by every other model in town, huh? The only difference is, he had to act stupid just to get the job. He went through more than 30 VTRs and ended up doing minor commercial roles, including one for a sanitary napkin (tsk, tsk…thanks for the honesty, boy). The "Jasper" craze happened several VTRs later, where they looked at over 400 people for the part. As luck would have it, Franco was the perfect fit.

Yes, there are still some commercials lined up for Franco in the coming days, but he’d like to keep the details a secret for now. He’s got too much on his plate, not to mention keeping tabs on his private life…something quick to vanish when stardom knocks on one’s door.

"It’s been so much fun, you do get the most amazing perks but it’s true what they say, you never realize how important your privacy is when its taken away from you. When you’re in a mall, when your walking down the street—sometimes you just want to be left alone but people cant help but run up to you. It’s okay though, of course I take it in a flattering way for people to run up to me and ask for my autograph, that’s something that never happened before. It’s always an honor for me that they appreciate the things I do. But I wouldn’t trade my life for anything right now. I might be exhausted as anything, but I’m having the time of my life so it’s all worth it."



Apart from the whole commercial hoopla, Franco’s also highly involved in what he’s passionate about…acting. "When you get very deep into theatre and your exposed to the likes of the great Audie Gemora, Michael Williams, Menchi Lauchengco, Kokoy Laurel, and all the biggest names in the theatre industry, they’ll teach you so much, and they’ll teach you that it’s the most amazing thing in the world! To be able to live another life, that’s the joy of acting, when you’re able to be another person entirely, it’s a rush to hear people applaud you for doing that", he says.

With all this media and theatre buzz, you’d think Franco would forego his plans of attaining a degree. Not a chance! He’s taking up Communication Arts in University of the Asia and the Pacific while fostering his careers—modeling, VJ-ing for MYX, and bringing (Peter) to life in "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe", one of the biggest theatrical play this year. Imagine that!

Rest assured that there’s more to expect from this guy in the future. Franco Mabanta is young, talented, and capable of doing just about anything as long as he believes in himself and keeps his feet on the ground. "I look at myself the exact same way before the commercials went out, before I became a VJ, before everything. I’m still the same big dork that I’ve always been and they all know that I am the same dimwit that I was before Jasper", he says.

For now he’s just enjoying the moment and taking one step at a time, as he knows that all good things come to an end. " Ten years from now who knows, I might be scuba diving in Afghanistan. At this point, I’ll never know. But everyday I’m given something new and I deal with it. I always believe that courage is not the absence of fear, but it’s the presence of the extra step. So, when you get something done, you don’t stay in neutral but you have to go forward. I guess I can say I’m brave enough to be the national moron, because if you can face the TV everyday and be the national jackass then there you’ve got to have no fear for that!"