Actor Dingdong Dantes categorically denies the rumor that he is considering a career in politics.
“I am swamped with both TV and film work. Paano ko pa mahaharap ang pagpasok sa ibang mundo like politics?” he says.
“Right now, I don’t want my showbiz career to suffer by joining politics. Hindi pa tayo handa para diyan. Dito na lang muna tayo sa trabaho na alam natin—acting and TV hosting. I still want to excel in this field bago ako sumubok ng iba.”
The rumor is not exactly new. It has been whispered for some time since he became active in the youth organization YesPinoy Foundation. But the whispers grew especially loud recently after he took part in the foundation’s flood relief operations.
Dingdong says he was just doing plain and simple charity work.
“Sa totoo lang, parati naman akong sumasama sa mga ganyang projects. Noong tumama pa ang Typhoon Ondoy in 2009, nandiyan na ang YesPinoy Foundation. Basta ang pagtulong sa mga kababayan natin, hindi ako nawawala diyan,” he clarifies.
YesPinoy, he says, is a scholarship foundation that regularly reaches out to the poor during times of calamity. And he’s been doing that even before he joined the group.
“So people shouldn’t take it na parang may political motive ako. Walang gano’n dahil matagal na tayong tumutulong kahit na noong wala pa ang YesPinoy Foundation,” the 32-year old actor says.
Like Dingdong says, he has too much on his plate right now. He is busy hosting the reality search “Protégé: The Battle For The Big Artista Break”. He will soon star in a new drama series opposite Kylie Padilla.
On the big screen, Dingdong has started filming Star Cinema’s official entry to the Metro Manila Film Festival 2012, “One More Try”, where he is among Kapamilya stars Angel Locsin, Angelica Panganiban and Zanjoe Marudo.
He just finished the horror film “Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles” with Lovi Poe, Joey Marquez, Janice de Belen and LJ Reyes, under the direction of Erik Matti.
His international movie, Dance of the Steel Bar, where he plays one of the dancing inmates of the Cebu Provincial and Rehabilitation Center, will be shown next year. He stars in it with Hollywood actor Patrick Bergin and local actors Mon Confiado and Ricky Davao.
Such a heavy workload leads to another, more plausible, rumor. He is fattening his bank account because he is already planning to marry his girlfriend and perennial screen partner, Marian Rivera.
The showbiz couple recently flew to Spain to visit Marian’s dad, Francisco Javier Alonzo Gracia. Did they ask for her old man’s blessing?
“Yung pagpunta namin sa Spain, plano talaga namin ‘yun ni Marian as part of our vacation after we were finished our series ‘My Beloved’. Kasama sa itinerary namin na bisitahin namin ang dad ni Marian. So walang naganap na pamamanhikan. Wala pa talaga.”
Marian turned 27 last August 12. In lieu of a party, she led a blood-letting operation for the Philippine Red Cross, just days after joining the flood relief efforts of GMA-7.
Like boyfriend, like girlfriend? Dingdong is proud of what she did. He himself donated a bag of blood for the Red Cross.
