Contessa star Glaiza de Castro was first seen together with her new leading man Jak Roberto when GMA-7 joined the Panagbenga Festival parade in Baguio City last Sunday, February 25.
Glaiza revealed that their tandem was formed after she did some screen tests with several Kapuso actors for GMA-7’s upcoming drama series Contessa.
Hinting at Jak’s role in the show, Glaiza said, “I think, bumagay kay Jak yung description ng character ni Jhong kasi tough at the same time endearing, yung tipong mamahalin mo.”
Jak, for his part, noted that he and Glaiza have established good rapport on cam since they got to know each other when GMA-7 did a tour in Singapore in October 2018.
“Kasi nung una kong nakita si Glai, tahimik lang nung Encantadia days, so medyo nakaka-intimidate. Hindi mo alam kung paano mo ia-approach, feeling ko seryosong tao. Pero nung nakasama ko sa Singapore, sobrang saya, as in naging kumportable kami sa isa’t isa.”
Here are other highlights from Kapuso Panagbenga 2018:
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Glaiza and Jak were joined by The Stepdaughters stars Megan Young and Mikael Daez together with Sherlock Jr. stars Ruru Madrid and Matt Evans.
They arrived at the lower Session Road, the starting point of the parade, as early as 7:00 a.m.
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Look at the throng of people who came to see the Kapuso stars in Baguio!
Glaiza took a mandatory shot with Jak with the crowd behind them since it's her first time to witness the annual Panagbenga Festival.
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What does Glaiza like about Jak?
She answered, "Nakita ko rin kay Jak nung times na nag-uumpisa ako, sobrang eager sa trabaho. Ako ngayon medyo rumi-relaxed na ako. Siya yung nasa height na workaholic siya, e. Kahit walang taping, trabaho siya, e."
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Megan channeled her Miss World 2013 days as she smiled and waved to the cheering crowd.
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Megan gamely posed for a wacky shot, showing how she's actually makulit and not just a prim-and-proper former beauty queen.
She told PEP, "I think everybody in the media knows makulit and kalog ako. When I was working with Miss World, ang laging sinasabi sa akin ni Julia, 'You're so bubbly, you're so different!' When I'm with her, I'm like the makulit na malambing apo.'"
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"Ang sarap sa Baguio!" Mikael exclaimed.
The actor didn't mind taking the road trip even though he and Megan are busy taping for The Stepdaughters.
He told PEP that he always enjoy the cool weather plus the coffee and wide range of desserts in Baguio.
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With the early-morning temperature falling to 14 degrees, Ruru kept warming his hands while enjoying the happy vibe from the crowd.
Matt, for his part, looked downright at home with his fellow Kapuso stars. It has been five months since he transferred to GMA-7 from ABS-CBN.
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Ruru seems to have outgrown his teenybopper days. In a brief chat with PEP, the 20-year-old actor said that playing Ybrahim in Encantadia 2016 played a big part in his maturity.
"Ewan ko kung anong pumasok sa sarili ko. Bigla akong naging responsible sa lahat. Even sa totoong buhay naging gano'n ako, mas naging maalaga ako sa sarili ko, mas iniisip ko kung anong mas magiging okay sa akin. Naging business-minded akong tao. Feeling ko malaking tulong sa akin ang Encantadia. Yun ang nakapagpabago sa akin."
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Say cheese! Megan, Glaiza, Matt, Jak, and Ruru posed for photos while waiting for the parade to start.
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A day before the parade, Regine Velasquez did a mini show in between the auditions for The Clash held at Sunshine Park in Baguio.
Asia's Songbird belted out her hit songs "Araw-Gabi" and "Ako'y Iyong-Iyo."
Then she serenaded the crowd with her rendition of "Tadhana."
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When Regine first appeared on stage, she was welcomed with loud cheers from the audience saying, "We love you, Regine!"
Regine jokingly replied, "Sinabi niyo rin 'yan kay Sef, e! Hindi naman siya kumanta!"
In this photo, she was seen with Sef Cadayona who hosted the whole-day event for The Clash auditions.
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Sef went in front of the stage to capture the crowd's reaction to Regine's amazing live performance.
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Before leaving the stage, Regine asked for a groufie with the crowd behind her and Sef.
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This crowd photo was taken right before Regine did a mini-show at Sunshine Park. There was a slight distance between the stage and the crowd for the GMA-7 panel to better see the performance of aspiring singers auditioning for The Clash that day.
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Singer Jay Durias (guy in the middle, wearing shades) supervised the auditions for The Clash. It was noted how he commends potential contestants with "very good" remarks. For those who didn't quite finish their audition piece, Jay would simply smile and say, "Happy Valentine's!"
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Here's another group photo of Matt, Ruru, Glaiza, Megan, Jak, and Mikael at the popular flower festival in Baguio. Panagbenga means season of blooming in the Kankanaey language.
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This was a shot of the back portion of GMA-7's float for the parade. Happy Panagbenga!
