Parang kailan lang pero eight years na palang nakatira sa Pilipinas si Marco Gallo.
Ipinanganak si Marco sa Milan, Italy, taong 2001.
Noong 2016, napadpad sa Manila ang binatilyo at nakasali sa teen edition ng Pinoy Big Brother (PBB).
Bagama’t bumalik siya sa Milan nung 2018 para sa kanyang modeling career na tumagal din ng six months, sa sumunod na taon ay bumalik si Marco sa Manila for good para ipagpatuloy ang kanyang showbiz career.
Nakapanayam ng PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) si Marco sa isang exclusive interview noong September 4, 2024, sa kanyang launch bilang bagong ambassador ng Bulova Watches na ginanap sa concourse area ng SM Makati.
Dito ay tinanong namin ang aktor kung bakit mas napili niyang manatili sa Pilipinas kumpara sa Italy.
Sagot nito, “I do miss Italy, but here in the Philippines, I’ve always told my family and friends that I never thought of show business as my career in my life, but ito yung nangyari. So when I was 15, I joined and then dire-diretso yung naging trabaho ko.
“So I feel like I’m still happy with it. I’m not burned out yet with show business."
Kung sa Italy kaya siya nakatira, ano kaya ang magiging trabaho niya?
Napaisip si Marco bago sumagot, “Good question, but I don’t know.
"I didn’t think of going back to Italy, but I thought of migrating to the States, but even if, I still don’t know what I would do that’s why I’m not in a rush.
"I’m just trying to be present everyday and I’m trying to take it day by day. As simple as that.”
Read: Marco Gallo, isiniwalat ang pinakamasamang karanasan sa showbiz
Kahit na sa tingin ni Marco ay dito na siya magse-settle sa Pilipinas, bukas siya sa kahit anong mangyari sa kanyang future.
Aniya, "I do plan to migrate eventually, one day, maybe when I have a family, maybe when I’m older or when I’m no longer in show business.
"But it’s a long long way to go before that.”
Dagdag pa ng 23-year-old actor, "Of course every country has its pros and cons.
"Like in the Philippines, I’m not happy that we don’t have the four seasons. I love winter, I love spring, summer, and autumn, but it comes with pros and cons.
"There’s nothing I can do about it. Kung gusto ko ng autumn, e, di umalis ako ng bansa, ganun lang naman. Hindi mo naman makukuha lahat.”
Read: Italy will pay you up to PHP1.8M to live in Tuscany
MARCO GALLO ON INVESTING
Sa kanyang eight years sa showbiz, marami-rami na ring nagawang pelikula at na-book na endorsements si Marco.
Nabuo rin ang kanyang hilig sa videography at pag-edit ng kanyang travel vlogs. In fact, kasama sa kontrata ni Marco sa Bulova ang travel vlogging.
Ngayong kumikita na siya ng husto, paano ba niya sine-save ang kanyang income?
Pag-amin ni Marco, “I’m not gonna lie, but before ang tawag nga sa akin ni Mama is may butas ako sa kamay, kasi I didn’t know how to manage my money before.
"But since may butas ako sa kamay and alam ko yun, pinilit ko sarili ko na bumili ng mga investments para pagkakuha ko ng pera ko, doon na siya dumidiretso.
"Like, wala akong choice kasi you have a responsibility to it, so it’s more about knowing your priorities and knowing na hindi tayo bumabata.
"Like tumatanda tayo and hindi basta-basta nangyayari na mayaman ka na lang.
"Kailangan mo talagang pagtrabahuhan and make more [while] you’re young."
Anong klaseng investments ang gusto niyang pasukin?
“To me, real estate has always been a goal of mine and I would love to have a house in different locations—one in Boracay, one in Palawan, and in other countries. Real estate to me sounds good.”
Naniniwala si Marco sa kasabihan na "you'll never go wrong with real estate."
Paliwanag niya, "I’ve been here for eight years and the prices of condos, lands, and houses, they’ve only been going up.
"There are times na medyo bumababa siya, pero it’s always like a going up kind of price.
"So kahit sabihin mong mahal ngayon, lalong magmamahal pa iyan. As long as you start now, you don’t have to spend millions.
"For example, I started with a small amount as a monthly payment. Kaysa ipanggastos ko siya sa pang-fashionista na damit, e, di igastos ko na lang sa isang bagay na may purpose, may value.”
marco gallo on bulova endorsement
Pagdating naman sa hobbies, pinagsikapan ni Marco na bilhin ang kanyang kauna-unahang Ducati.
Hindi niya naging hilig ang mag-collect o mag-invest sa mamahaling relo.
Pag-amin niya, “I know, it’s never been my main hobby. I’ve like some, but to me, it was never a thing that I got to—it never just really caught my attention to an extent of investing a lot of money into it because everyone knows my passion’s videography and motorcycles."
Ngayong kinuha siya ng Bulova Watches bilang endorser, ito ang kanyang pagkakataon na makapag-umpisa ng sariling collection.
Aniya, "So, now that I’ve been part of Bulova, it’s a way to get started, just a few because I don’t want to get a lot of them ‘cause I’m kind of careless.
"So I think it’s time for me to have a few at home—something that I can look at.”
Matagal niyang sinuot ang kanyang kaisa-isahang relo.
Aniya, “I really have one simple watch that I used to wear all the time, it’s this Casio watch. I don’t remember, I was like 14? My dad bought it for me and it’s just a simple one.
"It lasted me for years, but then I don’t know, I stopped wearing it na lang.
"Ah, I remember why I don’t wear watches kasi pinapatanggal lagi during taping, so ang takot ko naman baka mawala."
Bilang new endorser ng Bulova, ani Marco, "I would like to upgrade my look from time to time.”
Gaano ka importante ang oras para sa kanya?
“That we don’t have a lot of time and when kapag wala kang ginagawa sa bahay, parang ang tagal ng panahon, di ba? Parang nakatambay ka lang.
"When you’re doing a lot of things, you try to get yourself busy, you realize that when you’re working onto something that is valuable or a certain goal, you realize that there isn’t enough time.
"You always feel like it’s running out and I think that’s how I like spending my time since I started living it that way which is I wanna feel productive every day.
"It’s okay to be lazy for like an hour or two in a day. Pero as much as possible, I wanna be productive every day ‘cause I see the results, e, so sulit naman.”