Training has started for Dingdong Dantes who plays Prince Raquim in the remake of fantasy series Encantadia. It’s an extra exciting time for fans of the show and the man himself as he’s not only coming back a second time (he was part of the original show, but was cast in a different role), but is also teaming up with real-life lady love Marian Rivera who plays Ynang Reyna.
The man may be busy looking great and making us swoon, but believe us when we say the man is very much in touch with reality and the things that really matter, fantasy costume or not.
Text by KATHERINE MAGSANOC
Photography by FRANK HOEFSMIT
Thirty-five-year-old Dingdong Dantes has indeed come a long way from the 17-year-old dancer who first caught people’s eyes on TV.
“I should say that I am over a crisis,†Dingdong begins, when asked about how he was as he sat relaxed in his chair while being groomed for the shoot. He doesn’t hesitate to say that he practically just got over a personal crisis the night before, and feels like he is in the process of a rebirth.
“There’s a point in your life when you realize you have too much on your plate that you just don’t know how to digest everything anymore,†he shares. “And for the past months, that’s what I’ve been doing: digesting everything.†The whole time he says this, his eyes were closed. But as if on cue to further stress where he is at this point in his life, he opens them and says, “And I’m proud to say that I now know when and where not to eat it.†Of course Dingdong was speaking in metaphor. And for this interview, his personal sharing was a good start.
There are many things that people know about Dingdong, from his career to his personal life, from his local to his international citations. But what many do not know is that that Dingdong grew up the son of a Marine, that he was a Marine scholar and — following in his father’s footsteps — that he is also in the Marine service. These are the main reasons why he decided to form the YES Pinoy Foundation in August 2009.
Its main objective: to provide education to needy and deserving children of Marines. “I thought, given the opportunity and resources, I’d set up something that would give back to this sector that is probably neglected or in need,†says Dingdong. “Most of the Marine sons and daughters don’t receive apt attention, so we decided to focus on them.â€
YES Pinoy currently has at least five scholars in college, and there are bigger plans in the pipeline that Dingdong is excited about. “We’re coming up with pro-active programs that our volunteers relate to and are excited to be part of,†he shares. For starters, they plan to form YES Pinoy organizations in major universities around the country, with students being a key instrument in the foundation’s growth. This movement will start at the University of Asia and the Pacific. “We’ll branch out from there,†the actor says.
Dingdong admits it was difficult for them in the beginning to find recipients of the scholarship, the selection made narrow by the fact that they first opened to children of Marines killed in action or KIA. But, now, any child of a Marine, KIA or living, may qualify.
With all these developments in the organization, one would think that putting up a foundation like this has always been Dingdong’s lifelong dream. To this he answers a flat, short, “No.†“It was more of a realization after benefiting from all the blessings in my career, after going through all the hardships in my life,†he says. “It’s a mix of all these good and bad things that I really wanted to share with the people who looked up to me.â€
Dingdong adds that he was never even a volunteer or a part of other cause-oriented organizations when he was growing up. He says that he has always been an average guy, and one message he wants to send out is that any average person can do great things in small ways. “There is always something you can do to help society,†he says.
Dingdong has had a blessed life, and he wants to do more as he becomes more. YES Pinoy is not an outlet, deviation or escape from his celebrity life; it is the culmination of what he has become as a person. It is his completion.
“I see my life and my self in the same way,†he says. “Aside from perfecting your self and your craft, your country and your religion should be key areas of growth and improvement in your life as well. You should be able to balance everything.
“I am not just about my showbiz career or just about my foundation. I wouldn’t be who I am now without my family and my country,†he continues seriously. “It is a commitment to fulfill the bigger picture. It’s really all about nation building. If you want to be part of it in any way, you should start with being proud of your country,†he concludes.
Editor’s note: The original article featuring these excerpts was first featured in PeopleAsia’s December 2009 – January 2010 issue. Dingdong Dantes was given a People of the Year award in 2010.Â
Learn more about Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera in more of their stories on PeopleAsia.ph.Â
(Read about Marian and Dingdong’s love story on “Coosome Twosomes”)
(Get up close and personal with Marian Rivera in her exclusive interview in a “Prelude to Motherhood”)
